Ottawa, ON - The CIS #4 ranked StFX X-Women wrapped up their traditional Thanksgiving exhibition road swing with a pair of split squad wins over the Carleton Ravens Saturday afternoon.
After the Ravens scored a try in the opening minutes of the first match-up, to make it 5-0, the X-Women's White team rattled off 32 unanswered points to earn the victory.
Sophomore hooker Danielle Cormier (Halifax, NS) got X-Women White on the board with a try. After the conversion by fifth-year senior fly half Sabrina McDaid (Scarborough, ON), the visitors led 7-5.
Off a scrum near midfield, McDaid grubber-kicked the ball through a gap, where senior fullback Breanna Allison (Cole Harbour, NS) picked it up and raced 40 metres for a try. With a second McDaid conversion, X-Women White led 14-5.
X-Women White extended their lead, when junior prop Joanna Alphonso (Ajax, ON) touched the ball down in the end zone, after the forwards executed a pick-and-go for multiple phases. After another McDaid conversion, X-Women White were ahead 21-5.
Off a line-out deep in the Ravens' end, Alphonso drove the ball in for her second consecutive try. McDaid's fourth conversion made it 28-5.
Alphonso, after making a big run off a line-out on Carleton's 15-metre line, got tackled just short of the try line, but Cormier scooped up the ball and dove over for her second score.
McDaid missed her only conversion attempt of the match, making the final score 33-5.
In the second tilt, Carleton, once again, jumped out to an early 5-0.
X-Women Blue answered, taking a 7-5 advantage on a try from sophomore hooker Breton Fougere (Calgary, AB) and conversion by senior fullback Dominique Lalande (Halifax, NS).
Off a Carleton penalty, deep in their own zone, sophomore flanker Amelia Hatfield (Halifax, NS) extended the X-Women Blue edge to 12-5.
From the kick reception, after the Hatfield try, the split squad quickly returned to the offense. Junior center Maggie McDonald (Ottawa, ON) kicked the ball downfield and sophomore fly half Jacqui Salvatore (Scarborough, ON) retrieved it. She then offloaded to freshman 2nd row Sarah McCarron (Antigonish, NS), who dashed 50 metres for the try to give X-Women Blue a 17-5 lead.
After a steal by Fougere, off a Carleton line-out deep in their own end, Hatfield quickly gathered the ball, at the back of the ruck, and dove across the line for her second try of the match.
Freshman flanker Sophia Parker (Windsor, NS) made it 27-5 - the final score - after collecting the ball, off a X-Women Blue driving scrum, and touching it down over the try line.
The AUS-leading X-Women (5-0) will be back in action Saturday, Oct. 15, when they face the UPEI Panthers in their regular season finale. The match will kick-off at 3 p.m. in Charlottetown.
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