The Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks women’s rugby team suffered a tough 44-7 loss in their home opener against the Western University Mustangs on Sunday, Sep. 8 at home in Knight-Newbrough Field, University Stadium. Despite strong efforts, Laurier couldn’t hold off Western’s powerful offense, entering halftime down 29-0. The defeat extends Laurier’s losing streak to 17 games against Western over the past 18 years.
Newly appointed Golden Hawk head coach Eric Ciezar reflected on Laurier’s performance, acknowledging the challenges posed by Western’s well-coordinated play.
“Western was very good at moving the ball and getting it out wide. Most of their tries were scored on the outside,” he said. “They didn’t make as many mistakes as we did and they capitalized very well on our errors.” Ciezar praised Laurier’s middle zone defense and commended the team for fighting through the game. “It was really nice to see them score in the end to put some points on the board.”
Laurier’s lone highlight came late in the second half, when first-year economics student No.22 Shaiana Davis-July powered through for her first career try with just 2:42 remaining on the clock. The team’s second-year prop no.23 Faith Peev, a kinesiology and physical education major, spoke about the physical nature of the game.
“We knew they would have big scrums from last year, but we just wanted to come out hard and show them we’re not the same team from last year,” said Peev.
Peev also highlighted key individual performances during the game, singling out Kaya Grant for delivering some significant hits and commending Davis-July on her breakthrough try. “I think it was really good that we were able to fight for our try until the very end, even when we were down,” Peev added.
While Laurier showed heart throughout the match, penalties proved costly. “We need to work on getting fewer penalties because I think those kind of killed us,” Peev said.
Western’s dynamic offense, led by captain no.9 Kate McNaughton and no.11 Katrina Wright, who together contributed 20 of Western’s 44 points, was difficult for Laurier to contain. The Mustangs’ ability to exploit the wings left Laurier vulnerable, leading to eight tries conceded overall.
Despite the loss, Coach Ciezar remains optimistic about his young roster. “We have a very young team, a lot of first and second-year players. It was just nice that they played this game all the way through to the end,” he said. The team’s resilience was evident and scoring late in the match against a dominant Western side was a positive sign of progress.
Looking ahead, the Golden Hawks will face the University of Guelph Gryphons on Sept. 29 for Senior Day and then head to Trent University to play the Excalibur on Oct. 4. With a focus on tightening up their defense and reducing penalties, Laurier hopes to build on this experience as they aim to break their long-standing losing streak against top teams like Western.
