Huskies fall to UPEI in hard fought final game
(HALIFAX, NS)—The Saint Mary's Huskies ended their 2017 rugby season on Thursday night with a 57-21 loss to the UPEI Panthers in AUS action from Huskies Stadium.
Flanker Amy Hickey (Summerville, NB) had four tries for UPEI and earned the Subway Player of the Match.
Saint Mary's started strong the first five minutes until a turnover in their opposing end cost the Huskies an early lead.
UPEI's first possession resulted in a turnover as both teams were quick off penalties.
Lauren Sheidow (Summerside, PE) opened the scoring 5-0 for UPEI within the first ten minutes as Alysha Corrigan (Charlottetown, PE) hit one of her six converts on the night, giving UPEI an early 7-0 lead.
Corrigan doubled-up SMU 14-0 with her first of two tries on the night.
Hickey increased the Panther lead 19-0 when she added her only first-half try of the match.
Brittany MacKinnon (Windsor, NS) replied for SMU with her try, cutting into UPEI's lead 19-7 with one of three Elish Redshaw's (Point Edward, NS) convert kicks.
UPEI added a late try in the half and took a 24-7 lead into the locker room.
The Panthers' opened the second-half with three straight tries before SMU scored two in a row from prop Brianna Willis (Dartmouth, NS) and 2nd row Quinn Foulkes (Halifax, NS) for a 43-21 UPEI lead.
Two more tries from UPEI ended the match 57-21.
Tara Campbell (Summerside, PE) and Terrisa Lynch (Mirimichi, NB) each finished with one try apiece in the Panthers' win, who improve to 2-4 and next face the Acadia Axewomen in the 2017 Subway AUS Women's Rugby Championship semi-final match.
Saint Mary's end their season and graduate players - Kate Murray, Emma Burry, and Tessa O'Donnell. Coach Amber Davison has added some solid first year players for the upcoming seasons.
Dominic Nolasco, SMU Communications
Photo Nick Pearce