X-Women earn decisive victory over Huskies

(ANTIGONISH, N.S.) - The CIS No. 1-ranked StFX X-Women (6-0) defeated the Saint Mary's Huskies (0-6) by a 115-0 score Sunday afternoon in the season finale of the AUS rugby regular season.

More than 100 fans turned out at Oland Stadium to watch 17 different X-Women score tries in the convincing victory.

The X-Women led 72-0 at halftime, with 12 different players scoring tries in the opening half. By the 20-minute mark of the match, StFX led 36-0.

In the second-half, 10 substitutions hit the pitch for the X-Women.

Third year fly half Sabrina McDaid (Scarborough, Ont.) led the StFX scoring attack with 28 points. She posted two tries - one in each half - and booted nine conversions.

Off the bench, Erica Cranston (Dauphin, Man.) also tallied two tries for the blue and white, both coming at the end of the game.

Scoring single tries in the first half of the game were Jaelei Meyer (Carlyle, Sask.), Brooke Newsome (Brantford, Ont.), Zahra Batool (Waterloo, Ont.), Mia Huysmans (Ponoka, Alta.), Joanna Alphonso (Ajax, Ont.), Emma Taylor (Scotsburn, N.S.), Miranda Sample (Havelock, Que.), Breanna Allison (Cole Harbour, N.S.), Beckie Clark (Summerside, P.E.I.), Anna Simonds (Saint John, N.B.), and Dani Robb (Shanigan Lake, B.C.).

Crossing rhe try line in the second half for single X-Women scores were Jenna Downey (Stratford, Ont.), Kaitlyn Van Steeg (Rothesay, N.B.), Ashley Brooker (Wolfville, N.S.), and Lauren Agnew (Stittsville, Ont.).

Second-year prop Tasha McKenzie (Indian Brook, N.S.) was named the Subway player of the game.

Before the game, the X-Women rugby program honoured its fourth and fifth-year seniors, including Batool, Brooker, Downey, Huysmans, Robb, Taylor, Van Steeg, Brianna Graham (Canning, N.S.) and Caitlain Blanchard (Halifax, N.S.), who were playing for the final time at Oland Stadium.

The X-Women will vie for their 17th consecutive conference title at the 2014 Subway AUS women's rugby championship, which will take place October 25-26 at Acadia University in Wolfville.

"Everyone has been working really hard to get ready for playoffs," said X-Women captain Catharine MacKeigan (Toronto, Ont.). "We have to be mentally ready; we have to continue to play our game - 'simple' rugby."

StFX and Saint Mary's, the first and fourth seeds, respectively, will square off in one semifinal, while the host and second-seeded Acadia Axewomen and third-seeded UPEI Panthers will clash in the other match on Saturday, Oct. 25.

The winners will battle for the AUS title Sunday, Oct. 26, beginning at 3 p.m. The winner will advance to the CIS national championship slated for Oct. 30 - Nov. 2 at the University of Guelph.

Source: StFX Sports Information