Tournament host Guelph Gryphons finish fifth nationally
The St. Francis Xavier X-Women’s rugby defeated the McMaster Marauders 43-34 on Nov. 2 to claim their fourth Monilex Trophy as women’s rugby CIS champions at the University of Guelph’s Alumni Stadium. The gold medal match-up was the highest-scoring CIS women’s rugby final in history, overtaking the previous record of 44 set in 2003 when Alberta downed Western 38-6.
The gold medal contest was either team’s game in the first half, however, the X-Women took a 24-19 lead heading into the second half and never looked back. St. Francis would add another three tries – two of them converted – to solidify the 43-34 gold medal triumph.
St. Francis’ Sabrina McDaid, a native of Scarborough, Ontario, was named player of the game, along with McMaster’s Saffara Whiteley-Hoffelner from Richmond Hill, Ontario.
The X-Women, 17-time Atlanta University Sport (AUS) conference champions, advanced to 4-3 in CIS gold-medal games, with previous victories coming in 2006, 2010, and 2012. The 2014 CIS champions were perfect in three contests at the national tournament hosted by the University of Guelph. The X-Women downed Alberta 41-17 on Oct. 31, followed by a close 27-24 win over the Western Mustangs on Nov. 1.
The McMaster Marauders earned silver honours, while the Western Mustangs took home the bronze medal after defeating the Ottawa Gee-Gees 17-5 on Nov. 2.
The Guelph Gryphons, playing on home soil, finished fifth in the country with a 25-8 victory over Alberta. The tournament host was defeated by the Marauders 15-13 in their first contest during Pool B play on Oct. 30, followed by a 21-15 loss to the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Oct. 31, eliminating the Gryphons from medal contention.
Emma Taylor of St. Francis was awarded tournament MVP after recording two tries in the X-Women’s championship victory, and her second career CIS final. The fifth-year ended the tournament with a high of seven tries, including one game-winning try in the final seconds against Western on Nov. 1.
The Guelph Gryphons roster featured two tournament All-Stars in Shannon Spurrell and Devon Stober, while St. Francis and Western added three All-Stars. The silver-medalists in McMaster had four, with Alberta also adding two players to the All-Star roster. Ottawa’s Allison MacCormack was the sole representative for the Gee-Gees.