SHERIDAN 20, MOHAWK 12

OAKVILLE, Ont. - Their play down the stretch wasn't nearly as crisp as it was in the game's opening moments, but thanks to three first half tries, the Sheridan Bruins women's rugby team (1-0 OCAA) had built enough of a cushion that they could withstand a Mohawk rally, winning their second season opener 20-12.

"It was a victory which is great, but it was similar to last year (against Mohawk) in that we had a big lead and didn't close out the way we would have liked," Sheridan head coach Matt Piemontese said. "I think fitness played a role in the last part of the second half, but given that, I'm very happy with the performance of our girls."

The Double-Blue opened the scoring in the 10th minute after Khadeisha Thompson tackled the Mohawk ball carrier 30 yards from the goal line.

Kelly Skidmore then scooped up the loose ball and passed it to Cecilia Lac, who broke a tackle and dashed in from 25 yards away for the opening try.

Undaunted, Mohawk drove the ball deep into Sheridan territory, but the Bruin defence held and then turned to attack mode.

They worked the ball back under the shadow of the Mohawk goal posts and actually crossed over the goal line, but a held ball set up a scrum at the five-metre mark.

While the Lady Bruins weren't able to payoff the pressure immediately, it would eventually pay dividends when Thompson plunged in to make it 10-0.

Captain Shannon Paterson quickly added a third try just three minutes later, giving Sheridan a 15-0 halftime advantage.

Just after the hour mark Mohawk was able to cut into the Sheridan lead with their first try of the contest, but it was quickly answered by Lac's second of the afternoon.

Mohawk responded once again, this time tacking on the conversion kick to cut the Sheridan lead to eight, 20-12, and that would prove to be the final margin.

The Lady Bruins now have just five days to prepare for their next contest, hosting Seneca during Sheridan Homecoming on Sept. 28 (10 a.m.) and Piemontese says he knows exactly what they will work on leading up to it.

"We definitely need to work on our defence a little bit more, tweak a few things and then we'll be ready for Seneca," he said.

Source: Sheridan College

OAKVILLE, Ont. - Mohawk's rugby teams saw their records fall to 0-2 in OCAA action Sunday (Sept. 22) at Sheridan College's Trafalgar Campus in Oakville.

The home town Bruins, each playing their first game of the season, scored a 22-0 win over the Mountaineer men and won 20-12 in women's play.

Source: Mohawk College