CIS women's rugby Friday roundup: X-Women claim 14th consecutive AUS banner

StFX 60, Acadia 0 Final

ANTIGONISH, N.S. - The StFX X-Women rugby team won their 14th consecutive AUS championship title Friday evening with a 60-0 victory over the Acadia Axewomen in front of a home crowd in Antigonish, N.S.

Subway Player of the Game Lisa Gauthier scored three tries for the X-Women to lead them in scoring with 15 points, while fullback Magali Harvey added another 15 points as she scored one try and booted five conversions.

The X-Women led 36-0 at half-time after Gauthier scored two tries in the first half and Olivia DeMerchant, Asya Bartley, Jamee George and Cassie Osins each added single tries for StFX.

Stephanie Gillis scored two tries for the X-Women in the second half as the hail and cold weather set in over StFX's Oland Stadium. Gauthier crossed the try line for her third of the game to round out the scoring for the X-Women.

X-Women head coach Mike Cavanagh was proud of the way his team played, commenting, "we got the basics right, they played with a lot of heart and a lot of passion and it showed in the score."

"We practiced all week for one thing and then we got this type of weather tonight so we basically threw that game plan out the window and just grinded out the win," said the 2011 AUS Coach of the Year.

The X-Women take home the Birks Memorial trophy as winners of the 2011 Subway AUS women's rugby championship, a trophy named in honour of former StFX rugby star Michelle Birks.

With the win, the X-Women have now qualified for the CIS national championship scheduled for Nov. 3-6 at Trent University in Peterborough, Ont.

Coach Cavanagh says, "we are healthy heading into the CIS championship and we are playing our best rugby right now, good things are going to happen."

Source: StFX Sports Information