Rugby Axewomen open CIS championship with 42-10 loss

VICTORIA – Temitope Ogunjimi scored four tries and the Calgary Dinos held the Acadia Axewomen off the board until the final minutes to open the CIS women's rugby championship with a 42-10 victory at Wallace Field.

The win for Calgary moves them on to the semifinals on Friday's game at Centennial Stadium, where they'll meet the winner of Ottawa and McMaster. Acadia will play again on Saturday, matching up with the loser of that game.

"Obviously when you come to a national championship and especially in a knockout round it's critical," said Calgary Dinos head coach Simon Chi. On a day that was forecast to be wet and cold, Chi was happy to see the sun come out in full force for the big win.

"Can't complain—I was definitely prepared to be cold and miserable."

Temitope scored two tries in the first and two more in the second before coming off the field. Acadia's Sara Baxter ran in a pair of tries late to give Acadia their first points of the game but by that time it was too late, as Calgary ran away

Both teams took some time to get going on Thursday, staying scoreless until just over 15 minutes in, when the Dinos got on the board with two quick tries. Cafar ran it in first, bursting through the Acadia line to give the Dinos a 5-0 lead.

Elysa Sandron missed the convert but it wouldn't take the Dinos very long to get back on the board, as Ogunjimi cut through for her first try of the night to bring the score to 10-0. That try was the start of a big night for Ogunjimi.

"She's definitely a player that makes coaches look good," said Chi. "She does a lot of things and makes big players just on her individual athleticism and they came at an opportune time in the game. Credit to her as an athlete she did those things on her own."

After missing her first two converts, Sandron nailed her next two—adding two points to tries from Taeja Thompson and Ogunjimi. That brought the score to 24-0 at the half.

Ogunjimi was back at it in the second half, scoring two straight tries to bring the score to 34-0. Teammate Emily Tuttosi added a convert and Emma Netwon made a penalty goal before Acadia's Baxter could get her team on the board with two straight tries of her own.

SCORING SUMMARY

ACA: 0-10: 10

CGY: 24-18: 42

SCORERS

CGY Try – Coralyn Cafaro (convert missed) - 5-0 CGY Try – Temitope Ogunjimi (convert missed) 10-0 CGY Try – Taejah Thompson (Elysa Sandron convert) - 17-0 CGY Try – Temitope Ogunjimi (Elysa Sandron convert) - 24-0

HALF

CGY Try – Temitope Ogunjimi (convert missed) - 29-0 CGY Try – Temitope Ogunjimi – (convert missed) - 34-0 CGY Try – Emily Tuttosi (convert missed) - 39-0 CGY PG – Emma Newton - 42-0 ACA Try – Sara Baxter (convert missed) – 42-5 ACA Try – Sara Baxter (convert missed) – 42-10

Players of the Game

#7 Acadia – Angela Govier

#12 Calgary – Vanessa Graham Calgary

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (All times Pacific Time)

Thursday, Nov. 3

12:00 Quarter-final 1: No. 3 Calgary (42) vs. No. 6 Acadia (10)

14:00 Quarter-final 2: No. 2 Ottawa vs. No. 7 McMaster

17:00 Quarter-final 3: No. 4 StFX vs. No. 5 Concordia

19:00 Quarter-final 4: No. 1 Guelph vs. No. 8 Victoria

Friday, Nov. 4

17:00 Semifinal 1: Calgary vs. Winner QF 2

19:00 Semifinal 2: Winner QF 3 vs. Winner QF 4

Saturday, Nov. 5

12:00 Consolation 1: Loser QF 1 vs. Loser QF 2

14:00 Consolation 2: Loser QF 3 vs. Loser QF 4

Sunday, Nov. 6

11:00 Fifth place

13:00 Bronze medal

15:00 Championship final