Lethbridge – With a spot guaranteed in the U SPORTS Rugby Championships as hosts, the Lethbridge Pronghorn women's rugby team begins the conference season building towards the November tournament, hosting the defending Canada West champion Calgary Dinos.
 
The Pronghorns and Dinos are set to clash Thursday night at 7:30pm at the University Community Stadium. The game will also be streamed live on www.canadawest.tv, available for purchase as a single game and also available to anyone with a Lethbridge school pass, or all-access pass. Single game pass on Canada West TV costs $4.99.
 
The 2017 Pronghorns will have a good mix of experienced and new players, highlighted by the return of Sarah Gordon and Brittany Orr to the program. Orr was CIS tournament MVP in 2007 and returns after six years away, while Gordon returns after taking last season off.
 
Also counted on heavily this season will be a pair of players that spent the summer with the Canadian U20 team. Second-year back row player Sydney Del La Mare moved up from the U18 program, while third-year prop Abby Duguid earned her first caps with the national program.
 
This year's incoming crop of athletes is an impressive one which includes Canada U20 hooker Sara Cline, Prairie Wolfpack members Charlie Mitchell, Genna Wright, Gwen Fillinger, and Jordan Calladine. Calladine will miss the season due to injury.
 
The Pronghorn are also excited to add Raymond Comets standouts Karlee Durfey and Bradee Ellingson.
 
For the Dinos, the 2017 season is an important one as reigning U SPORTS player of the year Daleaka Menin and 2016 standouts Temitope Ogunjimi and Emily Tuttosi are all in their final year of eligibility.
 
Last season, the Dinos went undefeated in Canada West play, enroute to their first conference title, which included two wins over the Pronghorns; 64-10 during conference play and 50-12 in the Canada West semi-final.
 
At nationals, the Dinos suffered their only loss in the U SPORTS semi-final, 7-5 to the University of Ottawa. Calgary rebounded in the bronze medal game with a 24-12 win over the University of Guelph.
 
The Pronghorns will head out on the road for two games next weekend, facing the Victoria Vikes Friday and the UBC Thunderbirds Sunday. The Pronghorns will host the Alberta Pandas October 14^th.
 
 
 
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