The Gaels lost to the Laurier Golden Hawks in the OUA Men’s Rugby semi-finals last Saturday at Nixon field.
The Gaels received a bye for the first round of the OUA playoffs after their undefeated regular season. The last time these teams faced off was in the regular season finale two weeks ago when Queen’s won 52-31.
The Gaels came out of the gate strong, holding a close lead over the Golden Hawks throughout the first half. Queen’s Tom Kirkwood scored within the first few plays, bringing the score to 7-0 after a successful conversion.
The Gaels played great defence; they executed intense tackles and smart plays on their defensive goal line. However, Laurier still broke through the Gael’s defence with a try and good conversion kick to equalize the score.
Will Matthews then took the field with a second successful try and conversion for Queen’s, but Laurier responded with a try of their own, although they missed the conversion.
Queen’s continued to keep the pressure on the Golden Hawks and ended the first half ahead by a score of 22-12.
The Golden Hawks came back in the second half, scoring two tries to take the lead and put them up 22-26.
Meanwhile, the Gaels couldn’t break through the Golden Hawks’ defense as they failed to score despite many attempts and hard battles at the Laurier goal line.
In the end, the Golden Hawks maintained the pressure on the Gaels, keeping them away from their goal line for the remainder of the game.
With a nasty interception from the Golden Hawks on one of the Gael’s offensive plays, Laurier took control with an unexpected try and conversion in minute 65. The quick turnaround left the Gaels behind with a score of 32-22.
Unable to close the gap, the Gaels pressed on as Laurier gained a penalty, allowing them another two points and sealing the game at 34-22.
The Gaels kept playing right until the last minute. They got a final play to attempt for a try, but were not successful.
Defeated by the devastating loss on Nixon Field, the Gaels denied an interview with The Journal after the game.
The Golden Hawks have not won a game against the Gaels in 20 years—their first win since 2002 is definitely one for the history books as they advance to the OUA finals.
Ending their 20-year winning streak against the Golden Hawks, the men’s team will prepare for the after season and prepare to return next year stronger than ever.
Although a tough way to end the season, the Gaels left their hearts on the pitch—regardless of the result, making the OUA semi-finals is no small accomplishment.
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