Hamilton, Ont. - The McMaster women's rugby team will be competed at the CIS Championships at Trent University this year, as they earned a spot in the OUA Finals against the Brock Badgers by a score of 31-0.
Both teams came out fired up as play got underway in the first of two OUA semifinals today. On the Back 10 Field, the Marauders and the Badgers frequently changed possession during the first 15 minutes of play.
The Marauders got on the board with a try from Natasha Turner (Rockcliffe, Ont.) at around the 15 minute mark. The veteran #8 grabbed a nice pass from Maggie Cogger-Orr (Thornhill, Ont.) before breaking three Brock tackles for the first try of the match. Rookie Cindy Nelles (Belleville, Ont.) kicked the convert for the extra two points.
Later in the half, the Marauders would begin to dominate play, keeping the ball in Brock's half of the field. McMaster would draw a penalty and Nelles would kick the goal for three points. The Marauders would lead 10-0.
At the 30 minute mark, the Marauders would strike again with a second try from Turner. Off a scrum and a scramble in front of the goal line, Turner would push through for another five points. Nelles would be good for another convert.
One of Brock's players would receive a yellow card before half time and be sent to the sin bin, but McMaster was unable to capitalize with the extra man.
In the second half, the Marauders continue to score. Off a throw-in grabbed by Nelles, Turner would score her third try of the game for a hat trick and Nelles would score her third convert of the match.
McMaster's last score would come off of a nice run from Alexandra Fairgreive (Fort Erie, Ont.), beating a number of Brock players in the back field. It would eventually be Marauder Claire Lockhart (Waterloo, Ont.) who would drive the ball home for another try. Nelles would be perfect on the day in convert, scoring her fourth of the match and the Marauders would take the game 31-0.
With the big win, McMaster moves onto the finals to face either Queen's or Guelph in the OUA Final next weekend. This win also earns them a spot on the CIS Championships the following weekend. The Marauders have yet to lose a match all season.
