The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's rugby team defeated the visiting Laurier Golden Hawks by a final score of 38-17 in their OUA season opener on Sunday (Sept. 1) afternoon at Varsity Stadium.

On the field Laurier were the first to score, controlling possession early and marching down the field to open the scoring just past the 12 minute mark. However, the Blues would respond as some nifty footwork from Tristan McElrea created space for a quick pass to Emma Yang who finished off the run. McElrea successfully kicked the convert to tie the match 7-7. Yang then broke free just one minute later, utilizing her sensational speed to outrun the Laurier defence en route to her second try. McElrea would once again nail the conversion.

Following a response from Laurier, which drew the match to just a two-point advantage for Toronto, the Blues offence continued in stride. Sydney Heighington scored back-to-back tries for Toronto, while Andrea Girard and Yang would each add another try for the Blues to secure the home victory.

Yang's three tries led the Blues scoring with 15 total points, while Heighington finished with 10 from two tries, and McElrea tallied six with the three conversions.

With the win, Toronto extend their current home undefeated streak to four consecutive wins at Varsity Stadium, winning all three matches on home turf last fall. They will be in tough as they look to continue the trend next hosting the 2023 OUA championship finalist Guelph Gryphons next Saturday (Sept. 7). Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m., with tickets for the home game available at varsityblues.ca/tickets.