Strong second sends Gee-Gees to Consolation Final on Sunday
The Ottawa Gee-Gees delivered a commanding performance to defeat the STFX X-Women, 55-3, in the first consolation game of the 2025 CGIS U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championship, presented by The Rec Room Granville at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver.
From the opening whistle, the Gee-Gees applied relentless pressure. They opened the scoring in the first minute, with fullback Sydney Noseworthy crossing the try line for an early 5-0 lead. Fly-half Claire Bennett added the conversion, setting the tone for a near-perfect day with the boot.
The STFX X-Women showed resilience early on, getting on the board in the 11th minute with a penalty kick from Katie Murphy to narrow the gap to 7-3. However, any momentum for the X-Women was short-lived.
Just before the 20-minute mark, Sophie McDonald, who was later named Player of the Game for Ottawa, scored her first try of the match. Bennett's conversion restored the eleven-point lead. The Gee-Gees continued to press, with a try from Ngozi Mosindi sending them to the sheds with a 19-3 halftime lead.
Any hopes of an STFX comeback were quickly extinguished in the second half as the Gee-Gees unleashed an offensive onslaught. Ottawa ran in six unanswered tries in a dominant 35-minute display. McDonald, Alysia Comtois, Noseworthy, Quynh-Ni Au, Grace Dingwall, and Camryn Holland all powered over the line for scores.
Claire Bennett was instrumental in the victory, successfully converting five kick attempts to finish with a personal tally of 10 points from the tee.
While the result was not what STFX had hoped for, Jessie Penney was a standout performer, earning Player of the Game honours for the X-Women with a tireless defensive effort in a difficult contest.
The loss brings the 2025 season to a close for the STFX X-Women. They finish with an overall record of 6-2-1 (5-0-1 AUS).
With the victory, the Ottawa Gee-Gees advance to the U SPORTS consolation final, where they will play for fifth place on Sunday at 11 a.m. PST.
Nike Team Players of the Game:
OTT: Sophie McDonald
STFX: Jessie Penney
SCORING SUMMARY:
First Half:
1' OTT Try Sydney Noseworthy (Claire Bennett conversion) 7-0
11' STFX Penalty goal Katie Murphy 7-3
18' OTT Try Sophie McDonald (Claire Bennett conversion) 14-3
33' OTT Try Ngozi Mosindi (conversion failed) 19-3
Second Half:
38' OTT Try Sophie McDonald (Claire Bennett conversion) 26-3
42' OTT Try Alysia Comtois (conversion failed) 31-3
45' OTT Try Sydney Noseworthy (conversion failed) 36-3
51' OTT Try Quynh-Ni Au (Claire Bennett conversion) 43-3
60' OTT Try Grace Dingwall (conversion failed) 48-3
67' OTT Try Camryn Holland (Claire Bennett conversion) 55-3