The Varsity Blues women’s rugby team fell to the Laurier Golden Hawks 20-10 on Sunday at the University of Toronto’s back campus field.

The Blues opened up the scoring early in the first half when Sonja Kuziw (Mississauga, Ont.) drove the ball past the line for the game’s first try. The conversion sailed wide and Toronto led 5-0.

The first half proved to be a back-and-forth battle. Second-year forward Rosie Lang (St. Agatha, Ont.) and third-year centre Jenny So (Toronto, Ont.) made some key drives for the Blues. The Golden Hawks pushed past the U of T defence and took the lead as Meghan Thomas (Kitchener, Ont.) and Beth Landowski (Waterloo, Ont.) scored a try apiece, putting Laurier up 10-5 at the half.

The second half saw much of the same action, with both teams pushing deep into their opponents end. Thomas tallied her second try for the Golden Hawks early in the half, widening the lead by 10. The Blues responded quickly when Hannah Ehrhardt (Toronto, Ont.) made a spectacular charge through the Laurier defence before passing to teammate Emily McNally (Winnipeg, Man.) for U of T’s second try of the game.

The Golden Hawks turned on the pressure towards the end of the match, preventing the Blues from any scoring opportunities. Landowski charged over the line to garner her second try and secure a Laurier victory.

The Varsity Blues return to action next Saturday, September 20, when they travel to Kingston to face the Queen’s Gaels at 1 p.m.