VICTORIA - The speedy No. 4 nationally ranked Lethbridge Pronghorns scored less than a minute into the game, setting the stage for a 53-0 victory over the host University of Victoria Vikes in Canada West women's rugby play on Sunday at Wallace Field.
Sophomore Kelsey Willoughby (Lethbridge,Alta.) was unstoppable, leading the Pronghorns with three tries for 15 points, while rookie scrum-half Sarah Gordon (Surrey, B.C.) had a try, two converts and a drop goal for 12 points. Senior fly-half Laura Murphy-Burke (Surrey, B.C.) added three converts for six points, and Juhee Thompson (Mountain View, Alta.), Cassandra Orr (Vulcan, Alta.), Kayla Moleschi (Williams Lake, B.C.) and Tiffany Wideen (Port Moody, B.C.) each scored one try for five points.
With the victory, Lethbridge improves to 2-0, while the Vikes fall to 0-2 in Canada West play.
UVic's head coach Bruce Howe said he was disappointed with the team's overall defensive effort.
"Our defence was suspect, we have to get better there," Howe said. "I think a lot of our defensive errors were made because we try to do too much, we lost position and form and we could not keep our shape and they have a really good back-line and they exploited us."
The Pronghorns scored less than a minute into the game when Moleschi dished to Orr who streaked in untouched, eluding a Vikes tackle, giving Lethbridge the 5-0 lead. Murphy-Burke's convert attempt bounced off the upright - one of two on the day that struck the iron with swirling winds making kicking a challenge.
Willoughby scored her first try of the day off a UVIc turnover, making one UVic defender miss with a tackle attempt and then splitting two others with a nice run about 65 yards for the score. Murphy-Burke's convert made it 12-0 midway through the first half.
Wideen scored on a run through the middle and Murphy-Burke again converted to stretch the lead to 19-0. Lethbridge made it 31-0 after another pair of scores from Willoughby - one a converted try and then an unconverted try before the end of the half. The Pronghorns led 31-0 at the break.
UVic played a strong start to the second half with improved tackling and tactical play, but in the second part of the period, following a missed penalty-goalattempt from Randi Hunter, the Pronghorns scored 22 more points on tries from Gordon, Moleschi and Thompson. Gordon converted two of them, including her own, and added a drop goal just seconds before the final whistle to make the final 53-0 for her Pronghorns squad.
Strong play late from two Vikes rookies - centre Alanna Cryer (Calgary) and scrum-half Ruth Dyck (Tatla Lake, B.C.) - inspired Howe.
The Horns will host the Alberta Pandas next Sunday at the University of Lethbridge Community Stadium.
SOURCE: UVIC Sports Information
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