Gryphon rugby women to play for national medal

QUEBEC CITY – The Guelph Gryphons will play for a medal Sunday at the U Sports national women’s rugby championship tournament. The hue of that medal remains to be seen.

The Gryphs got themselves into a medal match with a 29-14 victory over the Atlantic champion St. Francis Xavier X-Women Wednesday.

The fifth-seeded Gryphs scored the first three tries of the game to start on their way to the win over the fourth-seeded X-Women.

Guelph grabbed a lead it wouldn’t relinquish with the opening try in the third minute of the game. They led 17-7 at half before scoring the first try of the second half in the second minute of the half.

Kennedy Feasby scored both of those tries for the Gryphs while Brianna Martey, Natalie Armatage and Madelyn Ryan added one try apiece.

Grace Jacklyn kicked two converts.

Emma MacDougall and Akwaima Akpan scored a try apiece for StFX. Katie Murphy converted both.

The Gryphs advance to play the eighth-seed Victoria Vikes in Friday’s semifinals. Game time is 5 p.m.

The Vikes upset the top-seed Ottawa Gee-Gees 30-17 in the opening game of the tournament. Centennial graduate Emmie Pierce of Morriston is a fly half with the Vikes.

In Wednesday’s other quarter-finals, the second-seed OUA champion Queen’s Gaels crushed the seventh-seed UPEI Panthers 66-17 and the sixth-seed Laval Rouge et Or squeezed by the third-seed UBC Thunderbirds 7-5 thanks to a converted try midway through the second half.

Laval and Queen’s are to battle in the other semifinal Friday at 7 p.m.

Friday’s winners are to play in the gold-medal game Sunday at 2 p.m. while Friday’s losers are to clash in the bronze-medal match Sunday at 12 noon.

• Guelph Sports Journal