Two Sports, Three Champions
Lacrosse and Rugby Teams Are Regional Champions
Alex Cole (Sports Editor)
On November 9th, John Abbott’s Memorial Field played host to three championship games that saw men’s and women’s rugby, as well as men’s lacrosse, come away victorious.
The women’s rugby team beat Champlain College in dominating fashion by a score of 25-5 to take the regional title. In the early moments of the game, Champlain College came out strong. However, after a big stop by the defense, the Islanders took control of the game and didn’t look back.
In the first half, Dana Silerova and Samantha White scored, while in the second half, tries were scored by Tess Armstrong and Pershea Aleai. Champlain was able to score late in the game, but
it was too little, too late. Not only did this game mark an undefeated season for the Islanders, but it marked a third straight championship as well. After the game, Samantha White, Dana Silerova, Erika Scott and Pershea Aleai as well as the coaching staff were made league All-Stars.
The men’s rugby team, who were also pitching an undefeated season, capped theirs off with a 36-0 shutout victory against Dawson College. The match demonstrated the Islanders’ offensive and defensive skills, something they had been showing teams all season.
Aiden McMullen, who is a Team Canada select, was named man of the match after scoring 16 points on two tries and three conversions. To further the scoring, David Pelosi, Jonathan Vatcher-Alaei, Thomas Cote-King, and Andrew Knopp were all able to manage a try each. Just like the women, some of the men were named to the league All-Star team. The Islanders who were chosen are Raphael Cininni, Corbin McGee, and Jonathan Vatcher-Alaei.
The third championship winning squad that weekend was the men’s lacrosse team, who beat Dawson College by a massive score of 22-9. This game was among one of the most offensive games the team had all season and not once during the game did they ever let up. The offense wasn’t the only key factor in the match as the defense put up a strong effort as well.
Islander player Alan Singleton finished the match with a game-high of five goals. Other notable performances were Turner Allison, who managed three goals and four assists, Kyle Gilbert, who had four goals, as well as Ryan McCallum and Mathew Muloin, who had three goals each. The coaching tandem of Ken Cave and Dave Pare were named to the league All-Star team. Players who made the team were Alan Singleton, Turner Allison, Cameron McMillan, and Matthew Patterson.
These three wins bring the season total to four championship wins for John Abbott’s sports teams, as the men’s Baseball team won a title earlier in October. As the season winds down, it will be up to the remaining teams to show what they’ve got and match the success of the four championship-winning teams.