The UBC Okanagan Heat women are alone at the top of the standings in the B.C. Rugby Union’s women’s first division.
On Saturday, the hometown Heat downed Kamloops Rugby Club 23-17 to boost its season record to 3-0.
Kate Smith and Hayley Fiebelkorn each made huge game saving tackles, preventing Kamloops from scoring the winning points.
With the six-point victory UBC Okanagan are in sole possession of first place with just three games left to play in the November schedule.
Smith, in her first year on the team, made a tremendous run of about 60 yards weaving through Kamloops defenders early in the second half. Jaqueline Dubreuil also scored a tremendous try in the first half, punishing the Kamloops defenders on the way to place the ball down to finish the scoring for the Heat.
Scoring first for UBC Okanagan was the Heat’s outstanding prop, Jasmine Doll, who had a great run off a line-out and scored in the first few minutes of the game.
Kamloops came right back and answered with a try of their own to tie the game at 5.
Shortly after, Chloe Worrall’s converted penalty kick for three points Kamloops would once again answer, this time with a converted try to jump in front 12 – 8, until the last play in the first half when Leandra Carino fought through multiple tacklers to score a try and give UBC Okanagan a slim 13-12 lead at half.
The 3-0 UBC Okanagan squad will travel to Thomas Haney Secondary in Maple Ridge on Saturday to play the 0-2 Ridge Meadows Bruins Rugby Club squad at 11:30 a.m.
Heat men
The UBC Okanagan Heat scored early and often on Saturday afternoon as they downed the Western Washington University Vikings 56-5 in a men’s friendly match at the Parkinson Recreation Centre in Kelowna.
Pete Alexander scored his first of two tries on the day to open up the scoring high stepping through the Vikings team not long after the opening kick.
James Scott scored 11 points off his boot on the day (1 PK, 4 conversions).
Fullback Grady Krohman was the only other member of UBC Okanagan to score more than once; Krohman closed out the first half with a try that Scott converted sending the Heat into the break up 32-5. Krohman also scored the last try of the game, which Scott then also converted to close out the scoring.
Costly turnovers by the Vikings allowed Sam Carroll to race in for his only score, and Trevor Yip did the same in the first half.
The forwards for UBC Okanagan wore down the smaller Vikings side, leading to a second half constantly in WWU territory. Simon MacDonald and Shane Barill both were able to score, as was the team in the second half.
