Women’s National University Championship – 2021

Queen’s Wins National Title – Sophie de Goede Named Tournament MVP: UVic Finish 4th and UBC 5th

Queen’s won the national women’s university title for the first time. The tournament MVP was Victoria’s Sophie de Goede.

UVic finished 4th, they defeated Guelph in the quarter-finals, lost to Ottawa in the semis, and lost to Laval in the Bronze medal match. UBC unfortunately drew Queen’s in the quarter-finals and lost a close match to the eventual tournament winner. UBC then went on to win their remaining matches by large margins +47 over Acadia and +38 over Guelph to finish 5th.

from Kingston Whig

The Queen’s Gaels outscored the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the second half of the final of the U Sports women’s rugby championship on Sunday to win the national title in front of a home crowd at Nixon Field at Queen’s University.

It is Queen’s first-ever national women’s rugby championship.

Tied 15-15 at the half, the Gaels outscored the Gee-Gees, who play in the Quebec conference, 11-3 in a rainy second half late Sunday afternoon for a 26-18 victory in front of a sold-out crowd of 1,200 fans.

Fifth-year player Sophie de Goede of Victoria, B.C. led the way for Queen’s, scoring a try and booting a convert and two penalty kicks.

On her first-half try, de Goede dove for a loose ball in the Ottawa end zone and got her fingertips on it just before the ball went over the back line.

She was named the tournament’s most valuable player after earlier in the week being named the top player in the country.

“I’m honestly speechless,” de Goede said after the game. “This is the best week that I’ve ever had. I’m so proud of the way that our team played. We couldn’t ask for anything else. This whole week, every single game, they’ve been grinding it out.”

De Goede is a two-sport athlete, also playing on the women’s basketball team.

Jaden Walker and Kiana Kozak also scored tries for the Gaels.

Queen’s entered the tournament as the eighth seed after dropping the Ontario University Athletics final to the Guelph Gryphons. De Goede missed that game as she was en route to Kingston after participating in a rugby competition in the United States with the national team.

On Wednesday, the Gaels defeated the No. 1-ranked University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, 33-26, and on Friday in the semifinal beat the 2019 defending champion Laval Rouge et Or, 28-18 in extra time.

In the bronze medal game on Sunday, Laval defeated the Victoria Vikes, 32-26.

Also participating in the tournament were Guelph, the St. FX X-Women and Acadia Axewomen.


*Women’s University Championship Starts Today – Live Stream by CBC*

UVic and UBC are in the national championships being held this week in Kingston, Ontario.

UVic has already played and gone through to the semis with a 21-10 win over Guelph in the quarter-finals. Player of the Match for the Vikes selected by USports was #8 Chanelle Edwards-Challenger.

UBC face host Queen’s at 4:30pm PT today.

The live stream can be viewed at this link on CBC Sports.

Quarter-finals schedule:

11 a.m. ET: Ottawa Gee-Gees 40 vs. St. Francis Xavier X-Women 12

2 p.m. ET: Victoria Vikes 21 vs. Guelph Gryphons 10

5 p.m. ET: Laval Rouge et Or vs. 46 Acadia Axe Women 12

7:30 p.m. ET: Queen’s Gaels 33 vs. UBC Thunderbirds 26

Live coverage continues with the semifinals on Friday at 11 a.m. ET, followed by the gold medal game on Sunday at 3:30 p.m ET.

UVic Roster

UBC Roster

Posted in University.