BELLEVILLE, Ont. - For the first time in program history, the Durham Lords women's rugby team come away from the OCAA championship with a gold medal.
The Lords kicked off championship weekend with a bye to the semifinals. After the Seneca Sting defeated the St. Lawrence Surge 21-12, a well-rested Lords squad took on the Sting at 11:30 a.m.
Shay Morris (Ajax) scored the first try of the game as the clock expired in the first half to give the Lords a 5-0 lead into the break. Emily Cooper (Guelph) scored quickly at the top of the second half to double their lead to double digits. Heather Bews (Whitby) added one more try for good measure to put the Lords up 17-0 and clinch a spot in the gold medal game.
Qualifying for their third consecutive gold medal game, the young Lords program aimed to win their first gold after settling for silver in each of the last two seasons.
Durham opened the scoring with just over three minutes left in the first half as Bews scored her second try of the day. With 42 seconds left in the half, Maya Austin (Ajax) scored a try, with a conversion kicked successfully by Morris.
As time expired in the first half, Cooper scored a try to take a 17-0 lead into halftime.
Fleming's Madison Falls (Bobcaygeon) scored the only try of the second half, missing on the conversion to make it 17-5. The Lords held the Knights off until the end, winning gold at the 2022 OCAA Women's Rugby Sevens Championship.
Since officially joining the OCAA in 2018, the Durham women's rugby team have now won three medals in four seasons.
With their season now officially complete, the Lords finish with a perfect record – winning 20 out of 20 games. In the regular season, they finished 18-0 with a plus-556 point differential. In the postseason, Durham secured a bye to the semifinals, blanking the Seneca Sting 17-0 before defeating the Knights for a gold medal.
Source: Durham Lords
In the OCAA Bronze Medal match, the Algonquin Wolves defeated the Seneca Sting 19-10.
Kari Read (Belleville) and Courtney Comeau (Stirling) both scored tries as Algonquin jumped out to a 19-0 advantage.
Atwavia Francis (Newmarket) and Olivia Hooper (Barrie) scored tries for Seneca but it wasn't enough on this day.
Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/wrug7
Live Webcast: www.ocaa.com/ocaalive
OCAA Championship MVP
Shay Morris, Durham
OCAA Championship All-Stars
Maya Austyn, Durham
Heather Bews, Durham
Olivia Hooper, Seneca
Rachael King, Fleming
Montana Ranks, Fleming
Kari Reid, Algonquin
Saturday, October 29
Game #1: Seneca def. St. Lawrence 21-12
Game #2: Algonquin def. Loyalist 17-0
Game #3: Durham def. Seneca 17-0
Game #4: Fleming def. Algonquin 15-7
Consolation Final
Game #5: St. Lawrence def. Loyalist 24-5
Bronze Medal Match
Game #6: Algonquin def. Seneca 19-10
Gold Medal Match
Game #7: Durham def. Fleming 17-5
- OCAA -
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