EDMONTON – The Thunderbirds' quest for a six-peat was denied by the Victoria Vikes on Sunday afternoon, as they fell in a back-and-forth match against their archrivals decided by just a single point. There was certainly very little to separate the two sides in what was a hard-hitting battle between the two best teams in Canada West.
It was the Vikes who struck first, through fullback Carissa Norsten. The fourth-year star was able to dodge and weave her way through a few UBC defenders and dive down into the try zone for the score in the 11th minute.
Olivia Newsome's subsequent convert attempt rang off the post, a sign of how points wouldn't be easy to come by throughout the gold medal clash.
Recognizing that they needed to take any opportunity they had to put points up, the Vikes elected to take a penalty kick from 33 yards out in the 24th minute, which Newsome connected on to make it a two-score lead.
The Thunderbirds finally got themselves on the board not too long after that, as after a wave of offensive pressure the blue and gold worked the ball out to the left side, where
Olivia Sarabura made a sweet dish to a wide-open
Adia Pye who made it an 8-5 ballgame after another missed convert.
UVic knocked through another penalty kick just before halftime, this one from just 13 yards out. The top-seeded Vikes took an 11-5 lead into the break, with that pair of three-point kicks the only difference on the scoreboard.
Pye looked to be the most dangerous of the T-Birds' offensive threats early in the second half, although the Vikes were able to do just enough to bottle her up on a couple of strong runs forward.
The Thunderbirds did break through for their first lead in the 58th, and it came through the middle of the pitch rather than the outside.
When second-year standout
Mya Koleba received the ball and drove straight into a couple UVic defenders, it didn't seem like the beginning of a highlight moment. But the Coldstream, B.C. native kept her legs churning and shed her would-be tacklers, sending them crashing to the turf as she crashed through everyone and into the try zone.
A successful convert from
Brooklyn Roddham made it 12-11, setting up a nailbiter of a finish.
As the clock ticked towards the 70-minute mark, the defending champs broke through again with another big play. This time it was Roddham and Pye playing some give-and-go down the left sideline, setting up the former for UBC's third try of the day, but again the kick after was no good.
That proved to be crucial when the Vikes drove back down the field and scored a try of their own through Kira Smed with just over five minutes to play. That convert was made, nudging UVic back in front by just a single point.
While the T-Birds made a couple determined pushes in the waning moments, and on one of them getting just inside the Vikes' 10-yard line, they were unable to punch any more points through. The match ended at 18-17 in favour of UVic, as they won just their second conference championship in program history.
In addition to their silver medals, the T-Birds also brought home the Canada West Rookie of the Year award, presented to
Poppy-Anne Elcock.
The Coquitlam native figures to be a key piece for the program for years to come, and will continue to have the opportunity to impact the present as well, with the T-Birds now looking ahead to the CGIS U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championship hosted by UBC in just two weeks' time.
Tickets for the tournament can be purchased
HERE, as the very best rugby squads from across the country descend on Vancouver to see who will claim the national championship.
SCORING SUMMARY
1 2 F
VIC 11 7 18
UBC 5 12 17
11' – VIC try – Carissa Norsten (convert missed) 5-0 VIC
24' – VIC penalty kick – 8-0 VIC
34' – UBC try –
Adia Pye (convert missed) 8-5 VIC
40' – VIC penalty kick – 11-5 VIC
HALF
58' – UBC try –
Mya Koleba (
Brooklyn Roddham convert) 12-11 UBC
70' – UBC try –
Brooklyn Roddham (convert missed) 17-11 UBC
75' – VIC try – Kira Smed (Olivia Newsome convert) 18-17 VIC
