Vikes undefeated on Day 1 of UBC 7s tournament

February 1, 2020

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The two-time defending U SPORTS champions picked up right where they left off following their Canada West women’s rugby 7s season-opening tournament win with three more victories in the second tour stop on Saturday in the Lower Mainland.

The Vikes opened the weekend by routing the University of British Columbia Okanagan Heat 55-0.

Shalaya Valenzuela made her season debut with a pair of tries in the first half, while Sydney Burchnall, Ella O’Regan and Sasha Guedes each added a try of their own as part of a 31-point first half.

Alexie Pusch supplied a try in the second half to go with her three converts; Renee Gonzalez cashed in a pair of tries and Maggie McKinnon found her way to pay dirt as well.

Later in the afternoon, the Vikes found themselves down 17-5 at half to the University of Calgary Dinos, but racked up 15 unanswered points in the second half to keep the perfect season alive.

Ashah Payson opened the game with a try and put the finishing touches on the Dinos with a try late in the second half. Brooke Bazian plunged in a pair of tries in the second half to contribute to the comeback.

In the final outing of the day, the Vikes held off the high-scoring University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the second half to earn the 14-12 victory.

O’Regan was back at it in the opening frame, while Bazian supplied the game-winning try midway through the second stanza.

The Thunderbirds received a try from Emily Meier late in the second half, but a missed convert earlier on a Shoshanah Seumanutafa try was their downfall this time.

“I’m really excited that we had a full squad effort,” Vikes coach Brittany Waters said after her team’s 3-0 day. “Knowing we have that depth going into tomorrow is really exciting.”

The Vikes will battle the University of Alberta in a semifinal Sunday, something Waters is looking forward to.

“We’re excited to take that momentum, that feeling of playing a high-level game into tomorrow’s games.”

SCORING SUMMARY

ROUND 1

Game 1: Victoria Vikes (55) vs UBC Okanagan Heat (0)

SCORING SUMMARY

ROUND 1

Game 1: Victoria Vikes (55) vs UBC Okanagan Heat (0)

Scoring summary:

	1	2	T
VIC:	31	24	55
UBCO:	0	0	0

VIC Try – #15 Sydney Burchnall (#5 Alexie Pusch convert) 7-0 VIC
VIC Try – #16 Shalaya Valenzuela (#5 Alexie Pusch convert) 14-0 VIC
VIC Try – #10 Ella O’Regan (Convert missed) 19-0 VIC
VIC Try – #9 Sasha Guedes (Convert missed) 24-0 VIC
VIC Try – #16 Shalaya Valenzuela (#9 Sasha Guedes convert) 31-0 VIC
HALF
VIC Try – #5 Alexie Pusch (#5 Alexie Pusch Convert) 38-0 VIC
VIC Try – #4 Maggie McKinnon (Convert missed) 43-0 VIC
VIC Try – #2 Renee Gonzalez (#4 Maggie McKinnon convert) 50-0 VIC
VIC Try – #2 Renee Gonzalez (Convert missed) 55-0 VIC

ROUND 2

Game 5: Victoria Vikes (20) vs Calgary Dinos (17)

Scoring summary:

	1	2	T
VIC:	5	15	20
CGY:	17	0	17

VIC Try – #6 Ashah Payson (Convert missed) 5-0 VIC
CGY Try – #13 Laura Petrillo (Convert missed) 5-5
CGY Try – #6 Angie Olukunmi (#15 Berlyn Seselja convert) 12-5 CGY
CGY Try – #14 Kate Knight (Convert missed) 17-5 CGY
HALF
VIC Try – #8 Brooke Bazian (Convert missed) 17-10 CGY
VIC Try – #8 Brooke Bazian (Convert missed) 17-15 CGY
VIC Try – #6 Ashah Payson (Convert missed) 20-17 VIC

Game 9: Victoria Vikes (14) vs. UBC Thunderbirds (12)

Scoring summary:

	1	2	T
VIC:	7	7	14
UBC:	0	12	12

VIC Try – #10 Ella O’Regan (#8 Brooke Bazian convert) 7-0 VIC
HALF
UBC Try – #10 Shoshanah Seumanutafa (Convert missed) 7-5 VIC
VIC Try – #8 Brooke Bazian (#8 Brooke Bazian convert) 14-5 VIC
UBC Try – #5 Emily Meier (#10 Shoshanah Seumanutafa convert) 14-12 VIC

Tournament standings – Day 1

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