Alexander Colle | Sports Editor
Featured Image: York advances to semifinals for the first time in team history. | Courtesy of Brock Badgers
In surely one of the most incredible upsets this season, our very own Lions defeated the top-ranked Brock Badgers in the women’s rugby quarterfinals this past Friday by a score of 34-24.
Top-seed Brock came into the matchup owning a daunting 4-0 record on the regular season, pounding every team that came across them. The Badgers obtained a staggering 352 points for and 24 points against this season, both of which are best in the OUA.
“Brock had an extremely successful season in Division Two,” says Lion Cheyenne Legerton about the matchup.
“We knew they were hungry for a win to move up to Division One. However, having played our entire season in Division One, we knew that if we played Lions rugby for 80 hard minutes, we would come out on top.”
York entered the matchup having just won their first match of the season—a defeat of the Western Mustangs by a score of 33-20 on September 29.
They came into the match taking on a team that had just dismantled the U of T Varsity Blues 76-7 last week.
The first half of the match saw both teams match each other back-and-forth with tries. The first came from Lions leading scorer Tobi Owotomo, who burst out of the gate in the fifth minute of play to score the first try of the match for York. Nine minutes later, the Badgers had a try of their own when rookie Taylour Hurd capped off a drive.
The rest of the half saw failed possessions from both teams trying to gain offensive momentum, due to hard-hitting defensive stops on both sides.
Despite this, the Lions would not go gently into the half to the best defense in the league, scoring in the final minutes via a try from Legerton. Attempting to go into the half with a lead, unfortunately York couldn’t hold Brock outside the try line, as the Badgers would once again fight back with a try of their own—this time, only minutes after, when Badger Kaylah Moehling scored a try just before the half.
Going into halftime with a 12-12 score, the real test for the Lions would be to overcome an offense that had obliterated teams by scores of 82-0, 97-7, 98-10, and 75-7, respectively.
After trading possessions in the first minutes of the half, York would explode with an electrifying offense, starting in the 53rd minute when Lion Catherine Belanger brought the ball to the try line after a quick progression down the field.
Rather than letting Brock respond with a try of their own, York controlled the ball for much of the next 10 minutes, and would eventually cap off their drive with a try from Lion Megan Pakulis.
Now with Brock at the edge of their first defeat of the season, the Lions did not hold back with offensive pressure, forcing their way down the field to score not just one, but two more tries, courtesy of Pakulis and Sasha Seymour.
Brock attempted to make a comeback in the final minutes, when Badgers Lauren Wilks and Niamh Haughey scored for their team—but it was too little too late for the top seed, as York managed to pull off the upset by a score of 34-24.
The win marks the first quarterfinals win in program history for the Lions, who scored more points against Brock in one game than all of Brock’s opponents combined this season. The success also guarantees York a spot in the top division for the 2018 season.
“We pulled out a win because we played our game and didn’t focus on what Brock had accomplished prior to Friday,” adds Legerton.
We stuck to our game plan,” says Pakulis. “We knew we had what it took to win as long as we played our Lions game. We played as a team, and everyone stepped up to show what we are capable of and shut Brock down. It was an amazing thing to be a part of.”
The Lions now look to face off against the undefeated OUA champion Guelph Gryphons next Saturday in Guelph.
“Going into semis I feel confident,” continues Legerton. “Guelph is a strong team. However, when they played us earlier in the season, we weren’t at our full strength. We’re much more organized and disciplined, more now than we were a month ago, so I expect a very different outcome.”
“We grow and get better each game,” adds Pakulis. “If this pattern continues, semifinals will be our best game yet. The team Guelph played against during the regular season isn’t the same team they will play against this Saturday.”
A win in that game would mean a conference final appearance for our York Lions squad. Although this may seem like a daunting task, last Friday’s win taught us that these Lions are capable of overcoming any obstacle, no matter how giant.
