Wolves strike early but fade late at OCAA women’s rugby sevens tournament

Algonquin College’s women’s rugby team battled through three fast-paced games at the OCAA women’s rugby sevens tournament on Sept. 13 in Belleville, starting strong with a win before dropping their next two matches.

Despite finishing with a losing record, the Algonquin Wolves showed resilience, grinding out an impressive victory against St. Lawrence Surge before being challenged against stronger opponents such as Durham and Loyalist.

Morgan Payne, a star forward for the Wolves, said team chemistry is key.

“It’s been exciting. We’ve got a lot of talent, but with only five practices, it’s about putting it all together and building that team chemistry,” Payne said.

Star back Princess Ikeson said it’s the intangibles that make the team work.

“We’re working toward being the most hardworking team. Even if mistakes happen, we keep battling until the end,” Ikeson said.

In their opening game against St. Lawrence, Algonquin set this hardworking tone by capitalizing on turnovers and turning them into points. A penalty opened the door for a length-of-the-field run early in the game by Faiza Faucher-Ahmed, followed by more pressure near the halfway line.

Though the team missed several conversions, they did enough to close out a 15–5 win.

But the victory was bittersweet. Late in the match, back-line player Wren Doucette went down hard after a collision near midfield and stayed on the ground as play stopped. Medics rushed onto the field, and after several minutes of attention, Doucette was helped off with what was later confirmed to be a broken collarbone.

The injury drew a hush over the sideline and dampened the celebration of Algonquin’s first win. What should have been a momentum-builder quickly became a sobering moment for the Wolves, who now faced the rest of the tournament without one of their key backs.

Coach Dan McNeil said the injury had a lingering affect on the team.

“Whenever an injury happens like that, it can kind of linger through the team, so that put us in a difficult space, especially against a tough squad like Durham,” McNeil said.

In their second game, Durham’s well-drilled side quickly took control, forcing repeated handling errors and dictating the pace from kickoff. The Wolves struggled to recover and Durham pulled away with a dominant 57–0 victory, leaving Algonquin with lessons to take forward.

The Wolves bounced back in their third match against Loyalist, striking first with a long run downfield to take a 5–0 lead. Loyalist responded with a run of their own with a converted try, and the game stayed tight until turnovers in the second half shifted momentum. Loyalist sealed a 17–5 win, despite Algonquin’s defensive stands in the closing minutes.

For McNeil, the weekend was about building a foundation rather than focusing on results.

“This isn’t the end of the season. we just did our first tournament of five this year, so it’s not the end of our journey but rather the beginning,” McNeil said.

The Algonquin Wolves’ results from each event will contribute to their overall OCAA standing, with four more tournaments scheduled this fall.