the
meliorist
October 18, 2012 • 21
Travis Robinson Sports Editor
On a beautiful afternoon for rugby at an at-capacity Community Stadium, the Horns came up short in a 38-19 defeat at the hands of rival University of Alberta Pandas. The once-dominant Lady Horns were outplayed in all phases of the game, and could not seem to match the speed, size, athleticism, and physicality of the Pandas. The Horns tackled too high and kicked too much, which gave the opportunistic Pandas an advantage. The Pandas leapt on these errors, and trounced the Horns on home soil. The end of an era was seemingly sounded, as the stranglehold the Horns once held on CIS rugby seemed to be literally broken by the powerful Panda squad. The Pandas mounted an early lead with tries
from Amme Svatos, Chelsea Guthrie and Paige Farries. Skilled kicker Teanna Chase converted all three tries to give the Pandas a 21-0 lead at halftime. The second half saw a much more physical game being played, with the kick and chase of the first half all but forgotten. Panda Amme Svatos scored to open the second half, but Lady Horn Cassandra Orr answered with a try of her own and a successful convert from Laura Murphy-Burke. Panda Teanna Chase proved she was not a one dimensional player and answered this Horns score with a try of her own, and swift-footed Panda Mia Hiller put the game out of reach with yet another Alberta try and convert from Rebecca Fairbairn. The Horns fought back admirably, and scored two consecutive tries
from Laura Murphy Burke and Kim Leavitt to end the game. Unfortunately, these late game heroics were not enough to surmount the Pandas’ sizeable lead. The Horns finish their regular season at 2-2, and will go on to play the University of Calgary Dinos in a semi-final game next weekend. The Pandas go undefeated in conference play and will face the UBC Thunderbirds in the other semi-final. The Horns played a tough game, and in a tremendous show of appreciation and sportsmanship, they saluted the sizeable home crowd who came out to support the team. Their dominance may have dissolved, but by no means are the Lady Horns any less competitive.