Victoria (Dan Kinvig) – The University of the Fraser Valley women’s rugby sevens club, playing its first Canada West Sevens Series event in nearly two years, finished eighth at a tournament hosted by the Victoria Vikes over the weekend.
In pool play on Saturday, the Cascades opened with a tough match-up against the powerhouse hosts, falling 41-0 to the Vikes, and they also dropped decisions to the Calgary Dinos (48-0) and the Lethbridge Pronghorns (39-5). Hannah Bilmer accounted for UFV’s try vs. Lethbridge.
In Sunday’s placing games, the Cascades battled hard vs. local rival Trinity Western, with Kira Katan scoring a pair of tries, but the Spartans prevailed 26-10. The UFV side closed the tourney with a 38-10 loss to Victoria B, with Katan once again scoring two tries.
“It really was a learning experience, and that’s how we took it,” said Cascades head coach Alisah McPhee, noting that her squad had just nine eligible players available. “We got better every game.
“At the end of the tournament, for sure, that’s when the fatigue set in with not having a deep bench,” she added, noting that the squad got great leadership from the sidelines from Cheye Gustafson throughout the event. “The willingness for everyone to get in and do the job they were doing for that game, whether they were in a completely new position or not, was great – they went in and they learned.
“Realistically, the only game I have under my belt to compare it to was our exhibition game vs. Trinity Western (last fall). We weren’t really competitive in that game, but when we played them today, we had them on their heels at times . . . We improved every game.”
Up next for the Cascades is Canada West Sevens Series Tournament #3, which runs at UBC, Feb. 25-26.
