EDMONTON – The UBC Thunderbirds won their first two matches on Saturday before dropping their third to the three-time Rugby 7s champion Victoria Vikes 12-7 inside Foote Field Dome at the opening Canada West Rugby series in Alberta. The Victoria Vikes and tournament host Alberta Pandas separated themselves after the opening day as both sides share first place with three wins each.
The T-Birds sit in third place with 9 points after starting the day off with a dominant 38-7 victory against the Lethbridge Pronghorns. They continued their strong performance with a 29-14 win against the Calgary Dinos, but were eventually defeated in a thrilling 12-7 decision to the Vikes in their final game of the day.
The Dinos sit in fourth after losing to the Bears (15-12) and the T-Birds (29-14), before ending the day with a 36-7 win over the TWU. The Spartans and Pronghorns head into Sunday looking for their first win, as both teams finished Saturday going 0-3.
It has been over two years since the last rugby 7s series event after the cancellation of the 2021 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Speaking to all the coaches today, that was the main thing, they were all so pleased we were hosting this event again, and I know how much fun all the athletes and coaches have during the sevens season," said Pandas head coach Matt Parrish.
Cassie Jorgenson led the way for the Pandas with three tries, two of which came in their 33-7 win over Trinity Western. She also found the endzone in the Pandas 15-12 win over Calgary.
Emily Brown and Melina Ioannides each added a pair of tries, with Athea Volpe adding one try and three converts.
"It's always nice when you get out to a great start like this, and you can hopefully build on that. Probably have a bit of an easier schedule today, but you still have to win the games," added Parrish. "Just pleased for the team, and hopefully they keep some momentum and confidence heading into tomorrow."
Victoria's Krissy Scurfield was arguably the best player during Saturday's competition, and she used her blazing speed to record five tries. Larah Wright also added four tries and one convert for the Vikes, who earned convincing wins over TWU (38-0) and Lethbridge (40-5), along with their 12-7 win over UBC.
Among the other leaders was UBC Thunderbird
Shoshanah Seumanutafa, who scored a pair of tries to go along with a day-high seven converts.
Day 2 of the Alberta Rugby 7s tournament gets under way on Sunday as the 'Birds take on Trinity Western Spartans at 8:28 a.m. (PT), followed by a much anticipated 11:24 a.m. (PT) matchup against the host Alberta Pandas. Results from Saturday's action are listed below followed by tournament standings.
All games will be streamed live on
Canada West TV presented by Co-Op.
Game 3: UBC Thunderbirds (38) vs Lethbridge Pronghorns (7)
UBC try - #6 Katie Salverda (#5
Shoshanah Seumanutafa convert) 7-0 UBC
UBC try - #14
Piper Logan (#5
Shoshanah Seumanutafa convert) 14-0 UBC
UBC try - #5
Shoshanah Seumanutafa (#5
Shoshanah Seumanutafa convert) 21-0 UBC
LET try - #10
Mia Bullock (#10
Mia Bullock convert) 21-7 UBC
HALF
UBC try - #6
Savannah Bauder (convert missed) 26-7 UBC
UBC try - #15
Mikiela Nelson (convert missed) 31-7 UBC
UBC try - #2
Jordan McLeod (#5
Shoshanah Seumanutafa convert) 38-7 UBC
Game 5: UBC Thunderbirds (29) vs Calgary Dinos (14)
CGY try - #5 Julia Omokhuale (#10 Berlyn Seselja convert) 7-0 CGY
UBC try - #8
Olivia Sarabura (#5
Shoshanah Seumanutafa convert) 7-7
UBC try - #5
Shoshanah Seumanutafa (convert missed) 12-7 UBC
HALF
UBC try - #6 Savannah Baura (#5
Shoshanah Seumanutafa convert) 19-7 UBC
CGY try – Penalty Try - 19-14 UBC
UBC try - #7
Sadie Gluvic (convert missed) 24-14 UBC
UBC try - #7
Sadie Gluvic (convert missed) 29-14 UBC
Game 9: UBC Thunderbirds (7) vs. Victoria Vikes (12)
VIC try - #7 Krissy Scurfield (#6 Summer Blackmore convert) 7-0 VIC
UBC try - #6
Savannah Bauder (#5
Shoshanah Seumanutafa convert) 7-7
HALF
VIC try - #1 Chanelle Edwards Challenger (convert missed) 12-7 VIC
Tournament Standings
| TEAM |
WINS |
LOSSES |
TIES |
POINTS |
| VIC |
3 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
| ALB |
3 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
| UBC |
2 |
1 |
0 |
9 |
| CGY |
1 |
2 |
0 |
6 |
| LET |
0 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
| TWU |
0 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
- Teams are awarded four points for a win, two points for a draw, and one point for a loss.
- Teams are awarded 15 points for a tournament win, 12 points for finishing 2nd, 10 points for finishing third, 8 points for finishing fourth, 6 points for finishing fifth, 4 point for finishing sixth, 2 points for finishing seventh, and 1 point for finishing eighth.
