MONTREAL -- Lauren Minns, from Montreal's NDG borough, scored three tries as McGill rallied for a 22-13 victory over Bishop's to open the 35th year of the women's varsity rugby program, Thursday, before a crowd of 344 at Percival Molson Stadium.

The result snapped a 21-game losing streak for the Martlets since their last victory, a 25-22 decision over the Gaiters on Sept. 1, 2019.
 
"We played as a team for the first time in probably three years," said an emotional head coach Allan Swetman, who collected his first official victory as bench boss at the university level. "It was very exciting at the end although a bit nerve-wracking. The connection within the team was really good and we're starting to build a strong culture. This victory really means a lot for the players and even for the coach."

It was a successful, long road back for Minns, a third-year master's student in law, who suffered a season-ending leg injury in her debut at McGill in 2021. The injury kept her out of the lineup the following season as well. The 5-foot-5 back row player opened the scoring with an unconverted try on a 40-yard romp in the seventh minute of play.

After the Gaiters bounced back to lead 7-5 at halftime and 13-10 with just 16 minutes remaining in the game, Minns completed the hat-trick with a pair of tries in the final nine minutes, scoring on a 53-yard run down the left sideline and a 17-yard run up the middle. Minns, 26, had transferred to McGill in 2021 with a civil law degree from the University Ottawa. With the Gee-Gees, she was voted  conference rookie of the year in 2017 and merited all-conference honours in 2019.

Rounding out the scoring for McGill was Catherine Murphy, an agricultural and environmental science freshman from Menands, N.Y., who evened the count at 10-10 in the 54th minute. Teammate Raurie Moffat, a physical education junior from Markdale, Ont., converted the final major to put the game out of reach.
 
"I didn't need to say much at half-time," Swetman confided. "All the leaders on the team stepped up and said that we were dominating, that the Bishop's points were the result of our mistakes and we just needed to trust each other, fight for each other and the win would come."

The lone Gaiters try was scored by Melody Legget, in the 19th minute to put BU ahead 7-5. Other Bishop's points came of the foot of Lindsay Roy, who tallied eight points with a pair of penalty kicks and one conversion.

"The victory means a lot to me but what means more is how each player, from the starters as well as the finishers that came on (i.e. substitutes) played to their potential," noted Swetman. "That's the thing that we've been trying to build over the past few seasons, trying not to play as individuals, but as a collective. I think that the work has paid off. A lot of credit has to go to the players that graduated over the last couple of years. The amount of work that they put into this program led to the type of team that we have now. I see this as a stepping stone to our next game."

McGill (1-0) plays at Concordia (0-0) next Wednesday (Sept. 6) at 8 p.m., in the annual Kelly-Anne Drummond Cup, symbolic of women's university rugby supremacy in Montreal and a tribute to the former Stinger player who died tragically on Oct. 4, 2004.

Bishop's (0-1) will host the Stingers on Sept. 10 at 1 p.m.

MARTLET MURMURS: Sasha Prevost and Raurie Moffat have been named as co-captains of the team, while Kayla Lui will serve as alternate captain (known in British rugby lexicon as vice-captain). Prevost is a political science junior from France, while Moffat is a physical education junior from Markdale, Ont. Lui is a microbiology and immunology junior from Calgary.
 
RSEQ STATS & STANDINGS

SCORING SUMMARY:
 
McGill Martlets 22, Bishop's Gaiters 13
 
FIRST HALF:

1. McG: Lauren Minns (TRY: conversion missed by Anjali Dhillon), 7', (McGill leads 5-0)
2. BSH: Melody Legget (TRY: converted by Lindsey Roy), 19', (Bishops leads 7-5)

 
SECOND HALF:

3. BSH: Lindsay Roy, (Penalty-kick), 50', (Bishops leads 10-5)
4. McG: Catherine Murphy (TRY: conversion missed by Anjali Dhillon), 54', (Tied 10-10)
5. BSH: Lindsay Roy, (Penalty-kick) 64', (Bishops leads 13-10)
6. McG: Lauren Minns (TRY: conversion missed Raurie Moffat), 71', (McGill leads 15-13)
7. McG: Lauren Minns (TRY: converted by Raurie Moffat), 78' (McGill leads 22-13)

SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
CELL: 514-983-7012
WEBSITE:www.mcgillathletics.ca
E-MAIL:earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca