A semifinals berth is a great honour for most programs, but for the Queen’s women’s rugby team, it was more like a formality.
On Oct. 17, the Gaels took on the Laurier Golden Hawks in their OUA semifinal matchup. In front of the home crowd at Nixon Field, Queen’s took a commanding 116-0 victory.
The win marks Head Coach Dan Valley’s eighth straight OUA semifinal victory since arriving in Kingston.
Queen’s made it clear they weren’t leaving anything to chance in the opening minutes. Tattyannah Jackson, ArtSci ’26, opened the scoring just minutes in, and the floodgates followed. By halftime, the Gaels had piled on eight tries. Stars such as Jackson, Mika Matsukubo, MPH ’26, Lizzie Gibson, M.PL. ’26, and Maddy May, MSc ’26, were familiar names on the scoresheet. They were joined by veterans Maia Swemmer, ArtSci ’26, Rachel Cullum, ArtSci ’27, and Olivia Dibua, ArtSci ’27, to cap off the first-half rout.
The Gaels showed no mercy in the second half, adding 10 more tries and closing out one of the most dominant playoff wins in program history. Veteran Kylie Mosgrove, Kin ’26, found the scoresheet, accompanied by additional entries from Cullum and Gibson. Third-years Robyn Baker, ArtSci ’27, and Kyleigh Chandran, Kin ’27, added to the mix, joined by second-year standouts Kennedi Stevenson, ArtSci ’28, and Eva Johnston, Comm ’28.
While some would get caught up in the margin of the score, Valley was particularly impressed by how they got there. “Scoreline aside, that was one of our most complete performances,” he said in an interview with The Journal. “Laurier was pretty big, pretty physical, and didn’t back down for 80 minutes. We capitalized on most of the opportunities that were either presented to or created for ourselves.”
Valley was appreciative of his entire team’s performance, but made sure to point out the breakout of at least one player. “I think Dibua had the best game I’ve ever seen her play,” he said. “She was fantastic all game.”
In the days following the match, the OUA announced its women’s rugby honours for the 2025 season. Valley won Coach of the Year for the third time, having earned honours in 2019 and 2021.
Gibson was named Player of the Year for the second time, also earning the nod in 2022. Between her sharp conversions and hefty try-count, she put up 157 points this year, more than double the next best total.
In the eyes of Valley, naming the award wasn’t even a debate. “She’s been a talented player since she came in,” he said. “But this was by a mile the most integral she’s been. In pretty much every aspect of our game, she’s been a difference maker. It’s as well-deserved an honour as I can think of.”
May Stevenson, Jayne Armatage, HealthSci ’27, Maxie Grant, ArtSci ’26, Jiggy Schonfeld, Kin ’27, and Madi Thompson, ArtSci ’27 joined Gibson as OUA All-Stars this year. Valley finds the honours well deserved, and even if he thinks the powerhouse of Gaels had even more players worthy of the nod, the individual accolades aren’t what his team is aiming for.
The win extends Queen’s undefeated season to 7-0 and sets up another classic OUA Championship matchup with the Guelph Gryphons, the eighth consecutive year the two programs have met for the crown. The Gaels last defeated Guelph 33-26 in a late-September regular-season matchup.
Valley said the team will lean on its veteran leadership heading into Friday’s final, especially with several Gaels closing out their Queen’s careers. With the OUA title and another run at Nationals on the horizon, he says the message remains the same as it’s been since the start of the season.
“It takes a village to get us where we need to go,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s about going after the two big things on our bulletin board since January: being OUA champions and doing everything we can to be national champions.”
The showdown for the title will take place on Nixon Field on Oct. 24, with the game set for 7 p.m. E.T.
Tags
Laurier Golden Hawks, Nixon Field, OUA, rugby
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