Photo: Loyalist Lancers/Submitted
The Loyalist Lancers women’s rugby 7s team capped off one of the most successful seasons in program history on Saturday, earning the OCAA Bronze Medal at the provincial championships hosted by Humber College.
The medal marks the third OCAA bronze medal in program history.
The Lancers opened championship day against the host Humber Hawks in the provincial semi-final.
In a hard-fought battle, Loyalist came up short by a score of 17-7. The Lancers’ lone try was scored by Cindy Brewster (Smiths Falls, ON), while Faith Ayres (Belleville, ON) added the convert.
Despite the loss, Ayres delivered an outstanding performance and was named Player of the Game for Loyalist.
The semi-final defeat sent the Lancers into the bronze medal match against local rival St. Lawrence Surge, and Loyalist wasted little time taking control.
The Lancers opened the scoring when Mayan Mackinnon (Trenton, ON) crossed the try line, with Ayres successfully adding the conversion to give Loyalist an early 7-0 advantage.
Later in the half, Ayres added a try of her own to extend the lead to 12-0 and put the Lancers firmly in control.
St. Lawrence responded in the second half with a converted try to cut the deficit to five, but the Loyalist defence held strong the rest of the way. The Lancers’ trademark defensive toughness once again shone through as they secured a 12-7 victory and the provincial bronze medal.
For her strong all-around performance in the match, Evelyn Shakell (Belleville, ON) was named the Lancers’ Player of the Game.
The bronze medal caps off a 12-2 season for the Lancers.
