The Concordia Stingers are off to their first-ever national championship final in Canadian Interuniversity Sport women’s rugby thanks to a 19-12 win over the three-time defending champion Lethbridge Pronghorns on Saturday morning at Trent University in Peterborough, Ont.
The Quebec champion Stingers finished preliminary play with a 2-0 win-loss record and nine points. They will face the St. Francis Xavier X-Women in Sunday’s gold medal match at 2:30 p.m.
The Stingers’ best results in four previous appearances at the CIS tournament were fourth-place finishes a year ago and in 1998.
A penalty gave Concordia a line-out on the Lethbridge five-metre line. From a driving maul off the line-out, Solange De Blois of Ste. Genevieve, Que., took the ball in and gave Concordia an early 5-0 lead.
Deep in the half, a Concordia penalty for interfering with Pronghorn kicker Laura Murphy-Burke gave Lethbridge the ball on the Stingers’ 10-metre line. Shannon Court broke cleanly through the Concordia centre to score, and Murphy-Burke converted to end the half at 7-5.
Early in the second Lethbridge kept the pressure on and was rewarded when Tiffany Wedeen charged the ball in for a score that was not converted.
Concordia replied with Claire Hortop of Mississauga, Ont., scoring a push-over try that was converted by Erika Hamilton of Ormstown, Que., to tie the game.
With less than two minutes to go in regulation, Concordia wrapped up the victory. The Stingers won a fierce battle on the Lethbridge goal line when De Blois got the ball just over the stripe and Hamilton converted.
SCORING SUMMARY
First half
1. CON: Solange De Blois (5)
2. LETH: Shannon Court (5), Laura Murphy-Burke (2)
Second half
3. LETH: Tiffany Widden (5)
4. CON: Claire Hortop (5), Erika Hamilton (2)
5. CON: Solange De Blois (5), Erika Hamilton (2)
Players of the game
CON: Lea Leahy
LETH: Kelsey Willoughby
