In their first win as a varsity program, the Carleton women’s rugby team pulled out a close 13-12 victory against Université de Montréal Sept. 23.
“We were all really excited to get our first win; not just of the season, but as a varsity team too,” said Jess Harvey, the Ravens’ fly-half.
Winger Natasha Smith got the Ravens on the board with an early try, and Harvey’s ensuing conversion gave Carleton a 7-5 halftime lead.
In the second half, Harvey kicked two penalties to put her team up 13-12 with time running out, and a missed penalty by a Montréal player sealed the Ravens’ first varsity win.
Harvey said she was relieved to make the second penalty because she redeemed herself for missing one earlier.
“I missed another one from farther out a bit before,” she said. “It felt great to make the kick, but I wouldn’t have had another chance if our team didn’t advance the ball like we did. It was a team effort all game and I’m just glad I could help us win.”
Even though they managed to get the historic win for Carleton, Harvey said the team still has many things to work on going forward.
“There’s definitely confidence from the win because it meant a lot, but it’s all about the process during the game,” she said.
“We need to attack and defend much better if we want to compete with the best teams, like Laval.”
Coincidentally, the Ravens will get a chance to test themselves against Université Laval in their next game Sept. 30.
Harvey said it will be interesting to see how her team builds off the win.
“We didn’t play nearly as well as we wanted, but we’re still happy to get the win,” she said.
“But going forward it’s important to keep improving and playing better from one to 15 if we want to win more games.”
