OCAA WOMEN’S RUGBY GOLD TO BE SETTLED ON SUNDAY

PETERBOROUGH, Ont. - It comes down to one match to decide the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) women's rugby champion of 2016.

The OCAA Women's Rugby Championship presented by belairdirect takes place Sunday at Fleming College's Sutherland Campus in Peterborough, Ont., beginning at 2 p.m.

The host and defending champion Fleming Knights are coming off an undefeated regular season, having won 15 straight matches against OCAA competition dating back to November, 2014. Fleming's opponents are the St. Lawrence Vikings, last year's bronze medalists.

These clubs have already met twice during the regular season, with Fleming getting the upper hand both times. In their first meeting, the Knights won at home 57-14 on Sept. 25. Fifth-year player Nicola Woelfle (London) had a big game scoring four tries. First-year player Cassandra Stark (Madoc) scored a pair, and second-year player Joanna Bronson (Peterborough) booted six converts while also scoring a try. Third-year veteran Samantha Gourdier (Amherstview) scored a pair of tries in a losing effort, with another third-year player Amanda Blair (Trenton) adding four points on two successful convert attempts.

The second match was a little closer, with Fleming winning 31-17. The Knights had a balanced scoring attack with five players scoring tries, including first-year player Megan Dick (Peterborough) who also contributed three converts. The scoring was eerily similar for the Vikings with Gourdier scoring two tries and Blair kicking two converts while also adding a penalty kick.

Regardless of what happens on Sunday, Fleming will be awarded an OCAA medal for a fourth-straight season, and St. Lawrence will celebrate its best finish in women's rugby.

Fleming advanced to the OCAA Gold Medal Match as a result of finishing in first place in the regular season standings. St. Lawrence had to win its way into the match, defeating Algonquin 15-10 on Oct 29.

St. Lawrence had tries from Blair and first-year teammates Kelsie Minnie (Trenton) and Lilly Dickson (Joyceville) in the victory. First-year player Devon Whiteside (Alliston) and second-year player Kristin Waterman (Dartsmouth, N.S.) scored for Algonquin, who was awarded the OCAA bronze medal.

- OCAA -

ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is the recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student-athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 29 members sponsoring 12 varsity sports.

For additional information please contact:
Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
Fax: 416-426-7308
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com