The Stingers win the Kelly-Anne Drummond Cup
Concordia’s women’s rugby team dominated the Bishop’s Gaiters in a 76-5 win on Sunday
The Concordia University Stingers women’s rugby team defeated the Bishop's University Gaiters 76-5 on Oct. 4 at Concordia Stadium, earning a dominant Kelly-Anne Drummond Cup win and moving into fourth place in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec standings. The victory puts the Stingers in a playoff position with one regular-season game left.
Concordia wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, scoring two tries within the first 10 minutes. The Stingers continued to control the pace in the first half, spending much of the game in the offensive zone while preventing the Gaiters from building momentum.
The Stingers’ defensive effort was just as strong as their offence; by halftime, Concordia led 33-0, limiting Bishop’s to just five points throughout the entire game—all coming in the 79th minute.
“I think we played well overall. We played as a team,” Stingers head coach Craig Beemer said. "We don't have much to say about defence, and it was good to see so many players get involved, and it was good to have a solid performance from the bench."
For Stingers forward Emma Marshall, the team’s ability to come together was key to their performance.
“I’m just really proud of us. We really stuck together. We wanted to prove a point after it didn’t go our way last weekend,” Marshall said, referencing their 60-7 loss against the Laval Rouge et Or last week.
For Nicole Amaral, playing at home and competing for the Kelly-Anne Drummond Cup made the game even more meaningful.
“We had a lot of things to prove to ourselves, prove to others,” Amaral said. “We owed it to us and to Kelly-Anne to just come out and play how we know how.”
The Kelly-Anne Drummond Cup commemorates former Concordia rugby player Kelly-Ann Drummond, who was killed by her boyfriend in an act of domestic violence in 2004. The annual game is held in her memory, keeping her connection to the Stingers rugby community alive over two decades later.
For Marshall, the win meant more than just the final score.
“We played for each other, and we know that this cause today is so much bigger than us,” Marshall said. “We really played for everyone here, all of our fans, our supporters and everyone in the world who couldn’t play today.”
With the significance of the game in mind, the Stingers’ performance on the field made for a decisive result. Concordia finished with 12 tries, including two apiece by Sandrine Dumont and Faith Roche.
Throughout the game, Concordia controlled possession for long stretches and repeatedly put pressure on Bishop’s defence. The Gaiters struggled to create momentum offensively, while the Stingers capitalized on their opportunities.
The Stingers' next game will be against the Université de Montréal Carabins, the team just above them in the standings, on Oct. 11 at Vincent d’Indy Soccer Field. This will mark the Stingers' final regular-season game.
