The University of Victoria Vikes women's rugby squad dropped to 1-2 on the season, losing 49-0 to No. 3 ranked Alberta Pandas in a Sunday matinee. The Vikes moved the ball well at times, but were unable to break the defensive line of Alberta.
The Pandas showed why they are the No. 3 ranked squad, opening the game with two tries in the opening 20 minutes of play. The Pandas did not let up in the opening half, with Alanna Fittes breaking up the right side of the field before calmly passing the ball to teammate Hayley Sandboe who would finish the play to put the Pandas up 15-0 just thirty minutes into the match.
The Vikes struggled to gain ball possession during the majority of the opening half and did not threaten until late, when a promising looking push towards the Alberta end was also stopped by the Pandas defense. Alberta would lead 27-0 at the half.
UVic came back stronger in the second half, generating more chances and coming within yards of a try on several occasions. Freshman Vike Alexandria Mueller was notable at centre, carrying the ball up both sides of the field to generate opportunities for the Vikes.
"There were a lot of positives from the game today," said Vikes head coach Mark Hall. "When we had the ball going forward we were quite dangerous, but little mistakes, coughing the ball up, turning it over, not managing it hurt us."
Sunday's match saw nine Vikes regulars sidelined, something that will likely affect the remainder of their season. The combination of new recruits and injuries was notable Sunday, as the more experienced Pandas exposed the Vikes in many areas of the game. Despite an improvement in play, the Vikes were unable to put up any points in the match, falling to 1-2 on the season.
The Vikes next face UBC Thunderbirds, 11:30am, Saturday, Oct. 5 at Wallace Field, looking to finish their Canada West Season at 2-2.
Scoring Summary:
University of Alberta: 49
University of Victoria:0
Scorers:
University of Alberta: Amee Svatos (3 tries), Hayley Sandboe (2 tries), Jen Cousineau (2 tries), Julia Goss (1 try), Alanna Fittes (1 try, 2 converions)
University of Victoria: None
