Tommies Top Rams 57-0 to Advance to ACAA Women’s Rugby Final

By: Sean Crocker, BA'18
---------

The St. Thomas Tommies downed the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus Rams 57-0 in ACAA women's rugby semi-final action Saturday afternoon in Fredericton.

The 6-2 Tommies went into the game as the second ranked team in the conference, beating the Rams both times they met in the regular season.

After the game, Tommies head coach Meghan Morrison was pleased with the team's performance but said she isn't taking anything for granted.

"We did a lot of the stuff that we worked on in training," she said. "We feel very confident with the work that the girls did out there."

Despite the score, this was the closest game the Tommies had with the Rams this season.

"They played with a lot of pride and a lot of heart, so they made us work for the win today," Morrison said.

The Tommies jumped out to an early start, scoring four tries within the first 21 minutes, two of which came from Kiaya Jorden.

Following the Tommies' offensive breakout, the Rams managed to slow the game down and keep them off the board the rest of the half.

Trailing 22-0, the Rams struggled to find offensive rhythm in the second half and were unable to cross the try line.

The Tommies used their depth to extend their lead, getting tries from Kendra Grealey, Emma Jones, Jenna Betts, Shannon Morris, Bailey Andrews, and Becca Baker.

With the win, the Tommies move on to the ACAA final where they will face the UNB Varsity Reds. The Tommies' only two regular season losses came at the hands of their cross-campus rivals, so Morrison's focus is on making adjustments this week in preparation for their final matchup.

"They're a tough team, they're dynamic and they utilize their kicking game, so we're keeping those things in mind for next week," she said.

"We have to have confidence in our abilities. We're a great team so we have to play to win instead of playing not to lose."

Morrison also emphasized the need for her Tommies squad to keep playing their game.

"We have to go out there and work the stuff that we do and not let the team we're playing against affect that," Morrison said. "We have to think about how we're running the ball and how we're communicating. It's all basics when it comes down to rugby."

The ACAA final is scheduled for Saturday, November 5 at College Field. Kickoff is at 2:00 pm.