UVic and UBC Advance to Semi-Finals at University Championships
Both BC universities advanced to the semi-finals on Friday. UBC upset #1 Queen’s and UVic ran up the score on # 7 Brock Badgers. On Friday UBC will face #4 Guelph while the Vikes will take on #3 Laval. CBC Sports live streamed the games on their YouTube channel and the archives are still up there for viewing. The U SPORTS match reports and CBC Sport live streams are posted below.
Victoria rolls past Brock 52-7 to advance to U SPORTS women’s rugby semifinals
GUELPH, Ont. (U SPORTS) — The Victoria Vikes scored eight tries, including five in the second half, to defeat the Brock Badgers 52-7 Wednesday in the second quarterfinal of the 2026 U SPORTS Women’s Rugby Championship at Alumni Stadium.
Kendra Cousineau scored twice for Victoria, which is making its sixth consecutive national championship appearance after claiming silver medals in each of the past three seasons.
Brock, competing at the national championship for the first time in program history, opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Mya Rickerby crossed the try line. Gabrijela Wicken converted to give the Badgers an early 7-0 advantage.
Victoria responded four minutes later with a try from Cousineau, converted by Maggie Mackinnon to level the score.
Mackinnon added a try and conversion in the 24th minute to put the Vikes ahead 14-7.
Despite losing Cousineau to a yellow card in the 28th minute, Victoria extended its lead through Emilie Sinclair’s try in the 33rd minute, taking a 19-7 advantage into halftime.
Cousineau scored her second try shortly after the restart, extending Victoria’s lead to 24-7 in the 36th minute.
The Vikes continued to build momentum in the second half, with Samara Sadden crossing in the 53rd minute before Cypress Des Ormeaux Schmidt added another try six minutes later.
Remee Brown scored in the 67th minute, while ShonDreya Smardon completed the scoring with a try in stoppage time.
Mackinnon and Brown each finished with three conversions as Victoria outscored Brock 33-0 after halftime.
Brock will face Acadia in a consolation game Friday at 11 a.m., while Victoria will meet Laval in the championship semifinals at 4 p.m. Friday.
Nike Team Players of the Game
Victoria Vikes: Maddy Grant
Brock Badgers: Mya Rickerby
Brock Badgers
Starters: Bree Ross-Lintner, Sierra Thompson, Jenna Rutherford, Mia Vandenhoek, Grace Van Den Hoek, Jessie Contini, Lily Vandenhoek, Victoria Stuart, Lauren Smith, Renee Engel, Carly Kay, Emma Thomson, Mya Rickerby, Ariel Baugh, Gabrijela Wicken.
Replacements: Marisa Freeman, Alexis Revai, Charli Burgoyne, Avery Parris, Erika Bagshaw, Jordan Smith, Bekah Cyr, Abigail Wilson.
Subs not used: Madisyn Lecompte, Maeve Butler.
Tries: Rickerby (10′).
Conversions: Wicken (11′).
Victoria Vikes
Starters: Kira Smed, Kendra Cousineau, Sasha McKee, Emma Grootendorst, Piper Walsh, Kyla Warren, Emily Findlay, Larah Wright, Emilie Sinclair, Elle Douglas, Cypress Des Ormeaux Schmidt, Maggie Mackinnon, Maddy Grant, ShonDreya Smardon, Olivia Newsome.
Replacements: Remee Brown, Hana Veysi, Samara Sadden, Celia Probe, Emilie Nicholl, Akwaima Akpan, Ivy Poetker, Marin O’Regan, Emilie Brett, Gwen King.
Tries: Cousineau 2 (14′, 36′); Mackinnon (24′); Sinclair (33′); Sadden (53′); Des Ormeaux Schmidt (59′); Brown (67′); Smardon (70+’).
Conversions: Mackinnon 3 (15′, 25′, 54′); Brown 3 (60′, 68′, 70+’).
Yellow card: Cousineau (28′).
Referee: Rebecca Matheson.
Defending champion UBC rallies past top-seeded Queen’s 15-10 in U SPORTS quarterfinal
GUELPH, Ont. (U SPORTS) — Adia Pye scored two second-half tries as the eighth-seeded UBC Thunderbirds rallied to defeat the top-seeded Queen’s Gaels 15-10 Wednesday in the third quarterfinal of the 2026 U SPORTS Women’s Rugby Championship at Alumni Stadium.
The defending national champions overcame a five-point halftime deficit to keep their quest for a national three-peat alive, as they upset the top seeds – the third time in the past four years that this has happened in the quarterfinal stage. The OUA champion Gaels were eliminated from championship contention after three consecutive national bronze-medal finishes.
Queen’s struck first in the 12th minute, when Riley Stone crossed the try line shortly after UBC’s Piper Logan received a yellow card. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the Gaels ahead 5-0.
Neither side found another breakthrough before halftime, although Queen’s lost Eva Johnston to a yellow card in the 35th minute.
UBC turned the game around after the interval. Pye scored her first try in the 40th minute to draw the Thunderbirds level at 5-5, but the ensuing conversion attempt missed.
Just three minutes later, Jaime Dickson crossed for UBC, giving the Thunderbirds their first lead at 10-5. Another unsuccessful conversion kept the margin at five points.
The Gaels answered in the 48th minute through Johnston, whose try tied the contest at 10-10. Queen’s could not add the conversion, setting up a tense finish.
Pye delivered the decisive score in the 61st minute, crossing for her second try to restore UBC’s five-point advantage. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the Thunderbirds to defend a 15-10 lead.
UBC held Queen’s scoreless the rest of the way, completing a comeback after being shut out in the opening half.
Shalaya Valenzuela also received a yellow card for UBC in the 45th minute. All five tries in the match went unconverted.
UBC advances to Friday’s championship semifinals, while Queen’s moves into the consolation bracket.
Nike Team Players of the Game
UBC Thunderbirds: Adia Pye
Queen’s Gaels: Sarah “Jiggy” Schonfeld
UBC Thunderbirds
Starters: Savannah Pelletier, Kiki Idowu, Alexis Dobson, Jesse Knaggs, Sierra Hasse, Mary Sieker, Sadie Gluvic, Teniola Epemolu, Piper Logan, Sarah Macpherson, Adia Pye, Shalaya Valenzuela, Belle Rousseau, Jaime Dickson, Lana Dueck.
Replacements: Abigail Stanley, Chenuki De Zoysa, Ella Kirk, Poppy-Anne Elcock, Lanae Davenport, Saylor Pickrell.
Subs not used: Caitlin Pearce, Ruby Kaltiainen, Gerry Atkins, Ayva Kennedy.
Tries: Pye 2 (40′, 61′); Dickson (43′).
Yellow cards: Logan (11′); Valenzuela (45′).
Queen’s Gaels
Starters: Jayne Armatage, Eva Johnston, Riley Stone, Keira Alferez, Maya Ocampo, Olivia Dibua, Stephanie Douglas, Sarah “Jiggy” Schonfeld, Sydney Woodcock, Tatum Lougheed, Kennedi Stevenson, Drew Spencer, Kyleigh Chandran, Robyn Baker, Rachel Cullum.
Replacements: Rian Pullen, Salomé Lapp, Matilda Pender.
Subs not used: Kaylin Durley, Karenna Ricketts, Sarah Hardy, Ava Guindon, Alessandra Orsi, Elyse Saddington, Ella Beltran.
Tries: Stone (12′); Johnston (48′).
Yellow card: Johnston (35′).
Referee: Jérôme Lévesque.