EDMONTON – The Pandas (1-3) were unable to stop the defending Canada West champs on Thursday night, as they fell to the Victoria Vikes (3-0) 60-14 at Foote Field.

Alberta landed a try in each half, but despite some periods of strong play were unable to consistently string together enough momentum to halt the Vikes' surges of offence. 

UVic got a couple tries on the board early, with Olivia Newsome and Krissy Scurfield putting the visitors up 12-0 at the 10-minute mark. From there the match settled into more of a back-and-forth rhythm, with the Vikes only scoring once in the next half hour. 

That stretch of more even play included the best offensive foray of the night for the Pandas, as they sustained a long period of possession deep into Victoria territory. Initially stymied on a series of pushes inside the Vikes' five-yard line, the Pandas dug deep and used some strong forward play to muscle the ball over the line in the 26th minute. Nina McLaren touched the try down, with Kate Alcock successfully kicking the convert.

Shaely Moodie nearly broke away down the sideline not too long afterwards after intercepting a pass along the UVic backline, but was chased down before she could get enough distance for another score. A late first half try from Newsome put her team up 26-7 at the break.

After another Victoria try and then penalty kick soon after the restart, Kaitlin Tettah-Wayoe got a second try on the board for the home team in the 64th. The Edmonton native took advantage of a UVic infraction close to their own try line by quickly restarting play and diving in for the score, followed by a Keira Skrenek convert.

Unfortunately, the Pandas were unable to parlay that highlight into a true comeback attempt, as three more Victoria tries finished off the scoring for the night. 

The Pandas will face another tough test on Sunday, when they play host to the UBC Thunderbirds. That match is scheduled to get underway at Foote Field at 1:00 p.m. (MT). 

Scoring Summary

	1	2	F
ALB	7	7	14
VIC	26	34	60

 

First Half

5' VIC - #15 Olivia Newsome Try (Convert Missed) - 5-0 VIC
9' VIC - #11 Krissy Scurfield Try (#12 Maggie MacKinnon Convert) - 12-0 VIC
19' VIC - #5 Piper Walsh Try (#12 Maggie MacKinnon Convert) - 19-0 VIC
26' ALB - #7 Nina McLaren Try (#10 Kate Alcock Convert) - 19-7 VIC
38' VIC - #15 Olivia Newsome Try (#12 Maggie MacKinnon Convert) - 26-7 VIC

Second Half

43' VIC - #24 Ivy Poetker Try (Convert Missed) - 31-7 VIC
51' VIC - #13 Maddy Grant Penalty Kick - 34-7 VIC
59' VIC - #19 Akwaima Akpan Try (#12 Maggie MacKinnon Convert) 41-7 VIC
64' ALB - #8 Kaitlin Tettah-Wayoe Try (#23 Keira Skrenek Convert) 41-14 VIC
67' VIC - #6 Celia Probe Try (Convert Missed) 46-14 VIC
71' VIC - #5 Piper Walsh Try (#12 Maggie MacKinnon Convert) 53-14 VIC
80' VIC - #18 Samara Sadden Try (#12 Maggie MacKinnon Convert) 60-14 VIC