Gee-Gees 26, Stingers 21: Ottawa outlasts Concordia

The Stingers women’s rugby team fell short against their conference rivals

SportsSamuel Kayll — Published September 16, 2026 3 minutes

A week after a dominant 50-7 win over the Carleton University Ravens, Concordia started well against their Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) rivals. An early try by Gee-Gees flyhalf Naomi Lapp was cancelled out when Stingers flanker Kinsey El Tanani punched the ball in to tie the game at 7-7. 

Tanani welcomed the challenge posed by Ottawa, a team that beat Concordia twice in 2025.

“This tight game is genuinely the only way to become a better player,” Tanani said. “So I'm very grateful that we have the opportunity to be a good team and play a good team.”

The Gee-Gees built a lead as the first half progressed, with prop Brinten Comeau and hooker Marley Magnusson each scoring tries to push the advantage to 19-7. Meanwhile, Concordia squandered multiple goal-line opportunities to cut into the lead, as knock-ons and penalties halted the Stingers’ momentum.

Concordia head coach Craig Beemer was critical after the game, feeling as though the Stingers mostly dominated.

“I don't like to usually say this, but there were just too many individual mistakes at the wrong time to win the game,” Beemer said. “Because otherwise we dominated pretty much every aspect of play.”

As heavy rain began to fall, the Stingers fought back in the second half. Concordia hooker Juliette Lachapelle-Marceau scored a try to shorten the gap, but Gee-Gees flanker Bronwen Earle made it 26-14 with a try of her own. 

Beemer praised the Gee-Gees for their toughness, adding that Concordia would use the loss as fuel for its young season. 

“The good news is this team works extremely hard. We'll just go back to work this week and try and figure some things out,” Beemer said. “But we respect Ottawa and the program they have.”

A final Concordia try by forward Sandrine Dumont made the score 26-21 and provided optimism that the Stingers might complete the comeback. But just like in the first half, goal-line woes prevented the comeback, and Ottawa held on for the win. 

While Lachapelle-Marceau acknowledged the unfortunate loss, she also recognized the team’s ability to bounce back quickly.

“Unfortunately, some discipline errors got the best of us. But I think this game gave us a lot of knowledge,” Lachapelle-Marceau said. “It makes us learn a lot of things, so we’ll be even more ready for the next time.”

On the same day, the Stingers rugby teams celebrated the first Pink on the Pitch game for breast cancer awareness. Beemer praised the team for its work both on the field and in the community. 

“They've really come together not only just on the rugby field, but the athletes led by leadership and other people,” Beemer said. “It's pretty cool. It's the first year the rugby team has done a Pink on the Pitch, and it’s 100 per cent student-athlete driven.”

Concordia welcomes the Université de Sherbrooke to Concordia Stadium for its Truth and Reconciliation game on Sunday, Sept. 20. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.