Edmonton, Alta. – The University of Victoria women's rugby team holds the top spot in Canada West 7s play after going 4-0 at the Edmonton 7s stop hosted by the University of Alberta, Jan. 20-21.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Victoria Vikes (29) vs Alberta Pandas (0)
- Back-to-back tries from Lucie Romeo opened the scoring for the Vikes, and with a convert by Maggie MacKinnon, gave the Vikes a 12-0 lead in the first half.
- Maelle Reed scored two tries in the remaining minutes of the first half, putting the Victoria ahead 24-0 with a second MacKinnon convert at the half.
- Justine Blatt-Janmaat's second-half try sealed the Vikes' win over Alberta, 29-0 to open the tournament.
Victoria Vikes (31) vs Lethbridge Pronghorns (5)
- Lucie Romeo accounted for 12 of the Vikes' 17 points in the first half, scoring two tries and one convert to go along with a try by Maggie MacKinnon for a 17-0 UVic lead at the end of the first half.
- In her 7s debut for the Vikes, Lizzy Marshall opened the second-half scoring with a try. With a convert from MacKinnon, the Vikes went ahead, 24-0.
- Lethbridge put a try on the board to bring the score to 24-5, but a seven-point effort from MacKinnon via try and convert finalized the score at 31-5 for the Vikes to end day one.
Victoria Vikes (26) vs Calgary Dinos (0)
- Maggie MacKinnon and Lucie Romeo each scored a try in the first half for the Vikes, and with a MacKinnon convert, sent the Vikes into the halftime break ahead, 12-0.
- A second try from Romeo along with Maelle Reed's third try of the tournament paved the way for MacKinnon to put two converts through the uprights and complete the 26-0 win for the Vikes.
Victoria Vikes (28) vs UBC Thunderbirds (10)
- Three different Vikes scored tries in the opening half: Emily Findlay, Lucie Romeo, and Shaye Ogurek.
- Maggie MacKinnon was successful on all three convert attempts in the first half to put the Vikes up 21-0 after the first half of play.
- Justine Blatt-Janmaat's try and MacKinnon's fourth convert of the match gave UVic a 28-0 lead heading in to the final minutes of play.
- UBC added two tries in the second half, but the Vikes' lead remained intact to capture the win, 28-10.
WORTH NOTING
- The Vikes' final win of the weekend against UBC snapped an 18-game UBC win streak, and marked the Vikes' first 7s win against the 'Birds since Feb. 26, 2022, a match which captured the Vikes' fourth Canada West 7s banner.
- Maggie MacKinnon and Lucie Romeo each finished with 37 points after the first weekend, while MacKinnon led the tournament in converts (11) and Romeo led the conference in tries (7) after the opening stop.
- Maelle Reed and Justine Blatt-Janmaat also added multiple-try weekends for the Vikes with three and two, respectively.
- In all, seven different Vikes scored tries during the opening tournament.
- The Vikes open the 2024 7s season with a 4-0 record.
UP NEXT
The Vikes head to the Vancouver 7s stop at UBC, Feb. 10-11.
FINAL TOURNAMENT 1 STANDINGS
|
TEAM |
W |
L |
POINTS |
| 1 |
Victoria |
4 |
0 |
10 |
| 2 |
UBC |
3 |
1 |
8 |
| 3 |
Alberta |
1 |
3 |
6 |
| 4 |
Calgary |
1 |
3 |
4 |
| 5 |
Lethbridge |
1 |
3 |
2 |
Point System: 1st Place - 10 points / 2nd Place - 8 points / 3rd Place - 6 points / 4th Place - 4 points / 5th Place - 2 points
