Posted: Oct 27, 2024

Rugby Sevens wins OCAA bronze medal

By: William Shoukri
Humber Athletics Communications

BELLEVILLE - Humber rugby sevens took home OCAA Bronze on Saturday, October 26, beating Algonquin 22-7 for the programs first Bronze medal. Meghan Aucoin was named to the championship all-tournament team and was Humber's player of the game against Algonquin.

Bronze medal match (Humber 22, Algonquin 7)

Setting up for the biggest match of the day, Humber faced Algonquin - a team the Hawks had already beaten twice this season.

The Hawks opened the scoring two and a half minutes in, thanks to an impressive interception from Alison Jodhan-Smiley. She would carry it the length of the pitch to put Humber up 5-0.

Algonquin would even the score in the sixth minute, powering through a Humber defender to score and then adding a conversion to take a 7-5 lead. The quarter ended with Algonquin nursing the slim lead.

Back from the break and trailing by two, Humber bore down. The Hawks scored on the opening drive, with Aliza Shahzad taking a pass in the middle of the pitch and accelerating through Algonquin's defence to score her first of the day. Humber would miss the conversion but took a 10-7 lead.

The Hawks dominated from that point onward. Shazad would double down and score her second of the match in the ninth minute, and Meghan Aucoin was cash with the conversion, putting Humber up 17-7.

Meghan Aucoin would plant the final dagger herself, gaining possession in the midfield before beating five Algonquin defenders with an incredible individual effort. An extra hip fake at the try line sent Algonquin's final defender flying, and Aucoin easily touched down for her second try of the day.

Humber would dominate the game's final minutes en route to a 22-7 victory and a bronze medal.

After an impressive season and tournament, Meghan Aucoin earned the title of player of the game for Humber. She had two tries and four conversions on the day.

Semi-final match (St Lawrence 7, Humber 0)

Humber's second match of the day was a different story than the first. St. Lawrence finished their season 13-1, good for second in the OCAA and Humber had its work cut out.

Humber drove the play for the majority of the first half. The Hawks spread the pitch and used their ball movement to create chances. Defensively, they were solid as well, limiting St Lawrence's opportunities.

The Surge was rock solid defensively, though, blocking Humber multiple times at the try line. In the final minute of the half, St Lawrence got its chance. After a scrum was won cleanly deep in its own zone, St Lawrence's Allesha Arsenault would break through two Hawks and make her way from end-to-end, scoring the first and last try of the game. Arsenault would also nail the conversion, putting St Lawrence up 7-0.

After the break, Humber played a great half from behind. The Hawks drove the pace of the game and got the chances they needed, but St Lawrence came through defensively each time. The final minutes were spent battling in the midfield until the clock eventually ran out, and St Lawrence ended Humber's road to gold with a 7-0 loss.

Quarter-Final match (Humber 26, Conestoga 12)

Humber had a quick start in their first match of the day. Slated against the 5-9 Conestoga Condors, Humber took control quickly.

Mara Demelo would open the scoring just a minute in after breaking two tackles and accelerating into the try zone. Meghan Aucoin would nail the conversion, one of her three in the game and put Humber up 7-0.

The Hawks doubled down on their lead minutes later after a nifty show-and-go from Isabella Mcphee would trick the Conestoga defenders. Mcphee created space and got the ball to Alison Jodhan-Smiley for her first try of the game. Meghan Aucoin nailed the conversion, putting the Hawks up 14-0.

Conestoga got one back near the end of the half, cutting Humber's lead in half. In the final minutes, Conestoga made a push, but the Hawks stayed strong on the defensive line, leading 14-7 after the first seven minutes.

Humber would strike quickly in the second half, scoring just 40 seconds after the opening whistle. This time, it was Meghan Aucoin who was sprung by a great pass under pressure from Aliza Shahzad. Aucoin would weave through a defender before turning on the jets and burning the rest of the Condors. Aucoin also nailed the conversion, this time from a tighter angle, to give Humber a 21-7 lead.

Alison Jodhan-Smiley would plant the dagger for Humber at the ten-minute mark. The second-year wing made a great head fake at centre pitch and then single-handedly ran through the Condors to score her second try of the game. Humber led 26-7 after the score.

Humber dominated possession for the remainder of the game until a 14^th-minute try from Conestoga made it a 26-12. That would be the final, advancing Humber to the semi-finals.