Victoria, BC – The University of Victoria is heading back to the Canada West championship game after delivering a statement performance in a 76-14 semifinal victory over the University of Alberta Pandas on Thursday, Oct. 22, at Wallace Field.
 
It was Victoria that controlled the contest from the opening whistle. The Vikes scored just one minute into the game and never looked back, piling up 12 tries while showcasing the attacking depth that has made them one of the most dangerous sides in Canada West all season.
 
Victoria wasted little time getting on the board as Emily Findlay crossed for a try in the opening minute, with Maggie MacKinnon adding the conversion for an early 7-0 lead. Alberta responded through Jorja Inglis to level the score at 7-7, but the Vikes quickly regained control. Maddy Grant restored the lead before ShonDreya Smardon finished off a strong attacking sequence to stretch the advantage to 19-7.
 
The Pandas demonstrated their resilience and remained within striking distance after Kaitlin Tettah-Wayoe touched down to trim the lead to 19-14 midway through the first half. From that point forward, however, Victoria took complete command.
 
The Vikes exploded for 26 unanswered points over the final 17 minutes of the opening half. Cypress Des Ormeaux Schmidt ignited the run before Piper Walsh powered over for another score. MacKinnon then added a try of her own before Smardon crossed for her second of the afternoon just before halftime. By the break, Victoria had built a commanding 45-14 lead after producing one of its most dominant halves of rugby this season.
 
Any hopes of an Alberta comeback were quickly extinguished after halftime. MacKinnon scored her second try of the match in the 51st minute to extend the lead to 50-14 and set the tone for another dominant period from the hosts. Victoria's defence matched the attack throughout the final 40 minutes, holding Alberta scoreless.
 
Olivia Newsome added two second-half tries, including the final score of the contest, while Smardon completed a hat trick in the 64th minute. Emilie Sinclair also found the try zone late as the Vikes continued to create opportunities through sustained pressure and efficient finishing.
 
Nine different players scored tries, while MacKinnon and Newsome combined to convert eight kicks. The Vikes finished with 31 second-half points and prevented Alberta from building any momentum after the break.
 
Despite the lopsided result, head coach Brittany Waters said there is still room for improvement ahead of the conference championship match.
 
"We're very happy to come away with a dominant win in the semifinal," said Waters. "We've held ourselves to very high standards this season, so I know there's some frustration leaving this game. We're here to get better every single game, so we'll take a look at the things we can learn from and apply them on Sunday. But now it's all about the Canada West final. We're excited for another chance to play UBC and test where we're at."
 
The victory sends Victoria into the Canada West championship game, where the Vikes will face the UBC Thunderbirds in a rematch of last season's conference final. With both teams producing commanding semifinal victories on Thursday, the stage is set for another chapter in one of Canada West's premier rivalries. The Canada West bronze medal match between Alberta and Lethbridge is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, followed by the gold medal final between Victoria and UBC at 3 p.m., both at Wallace Field.
 
SCORING SUMMARY
 

	1	2	F
VIC	45	31	76
ALB	14	0	14

 
1' VIC Try - #7 Emily Findlay, conversion #12 Maggie MacKinnon, 7-0 VIC
6' ALB Try - #1 Jorja Inglis, conversion #15 Kate Alcock, 7-7 TIE
12' VIC Try - #13 Maddy Grant, conversion missed, 12-7 VIC
19' VIC Try - #14 ShonDreya Smardon, conversion #12 Maggie MacKinnon, 19-7 VIC
23' ALB Try - #8 Kaitlin Tettah-Wayoe, conversion #15 Kate Alcock, 19-14 VIC
28' VIC Try - #11 Cypress Des Ormeaux Schmidt, conversion #12 Maggie MacKinnon, 26-14 VIC
31' VIC Try - #5 Piper Walsh, conversion #12 Maggie MacKinnon, 33-14
34' VIC Try - #12 Maggie MacKinnon, conversion missed, 38-14 VIC
36' VIC Try - #14 ShonDreya Smardon, conversion #12 Maggie MacKinnon, 45-14 VIC
HALF
51' VIC Try - #12 Maggie MacKinnon, conversion missed, 50-14 VIC
60' VIC Try - #15 Olivia Newsome, conversion #12 Maggie MacKinnon, 57-14 VIC
64' VIC Try - #14 ShonDreya Smardon, conversion missed, 62-14 VIC
72' VIC Try - #23 Emilie Sinclair, conversion #15 Olivia Newsome, 69-14 VIC
80' VIC Try - #15 Olivia Newsome, conversion #15 Olivia Newsome, 76-14