The Brock Badgers women's rugby team has much to be proud of after reaching the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) semifinal for a sixth straight year.
On Friday, Oct. 17, the No. 6 seed Badgers fell 58-7 to the No. 2 seed and host Guelph Gryphons in a hard-fought battle at Alumni Field.
"Our team came together and grew through the season," said head coach Adrian Brown. "With 19 first-year athletes joining the program, we are incredibly excited for the future."
Mia Vandenhoek scored the lone try for the Badgers, while Paige DeNeve capped her Brock career with a conversion.
The match started tight, with Vandenhoek's try and DeNeve's conversion cutting the Gryphons' early lead to 12–7 in the first half.
That was as close as Brock would get as Guelph responded with 46 unanswered points to seal the win and advance to the OUA final.
To reach the semifinal, the Badgers delivered a thrilling 38-12 victory over the Western Mustangs in overtime last weekend on Saturday, Oct. 11 in London, Ont.,
The women's rugby team was ranked twice in the U SPORTS rankings during the season and were as high as eighth during last week's edition.
"The players stepped into big roles all season and typified the Brock identity as a team," Brown said. "They fought through adversity and grew every week. We're grateful for the effort and commitment these athletes showed all season."
