In their first game of the 2012 CIS women’s rugby championship, the Quebec champion Concordia Stingers made a statement with a 29-0 shutout win over the Queen’s Gaels Friday afternoon at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S.
Concordia’s Bianca Farella, the CIS rookie of the year and an all-Canadian, earned game-MVP honours. She explained that the Stingers were happy with how they were able to contain the Gaels.
“We were able to read them to see what they were doing, we communicated well with each other and we were able to track them,” she said.
“We knew we could come out strong. Our team did very well. I am so proud of us.”
The first half was low scoring as the Stingers were the only team to hit the scoresheet, posting a 7-0 lead thanks to an Erika Ikonomopolous try and a Jackie Tittley convert.
Concordia continued to surge forward in the second half. Flanker Liza Myers pushed across the line and scored the Stingers’ second try of the game in the 42nd minute. Tittley made good on her second conversion of the day to increase the lead to 14-0.
Tittley kicked a penalty goal in the 48th minute to make it 17-0, and Farella padded the advantage when she scored her first try of the game in the 58th minute. Tittley’s conversion gave the Stingers a 24-0 lead with 11 minutes to play.
The Gaels were unable to mount any significant scoring chances the rest of the way, and Farella rounded out the scoring with her second try (unconverted) in the 66th minute as she broke free and ran the ball down the far sideline.
The Stingers are now guaranteed a spot in a medal game. Concordia will battle the St. FX X-Women tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. (Atlantic time). The winner will play in the gold medal game and the loser will have a berth in the bronze medal game.
