Maple Leafs romp to victory over All-Americans

Canada’s Maple Leafs closed out their two-game series against the Collegiate All-Americans with a dominant 45-13 result in Salt Lake City on Saturday. The match acted as a curtain raiser for the final round of the Women’s Super Series. While both teams were development sides, the Americans can take solace in the fact that they were competing with a significant disadvantage in experience and preparation.

Gabby Cantorna opened the scoring with a penalty goal but it was erased by her opposite Jess Neilson soon after. The first try followed immediately through Julia Goss, with the center showing good support lines to finish off an initial line break by Mackenzie Higgs.

A stifling Maple Leafs defense pushed the All-Americans back and eventually earned a penalty at the breakdown. The quick tap landed in Sara Svoboda’s hands, and the flanker ripped through to score the first of three tries on the night for the Belleville, Ontario, native.

The All-Americans responded with a second penalty goal from Cantorna, but the Maple Leafs struck back with a try, this time from replacement Petra Woods. Neilson couldn’t make the extras but it was a very healthy 20-6 lead at the break for the visitors.

Canada started the second half in good form with Goss racing over for her second. Teenage captain Jennifer Johnson got her team’s first and only try after repeat attacks on the Canadian line, with Cantorna’s conversion successful, but that would be the final scoring act of the All-Americans for the remainder of proceedings.

Two more tries to Svoboda and Neilson’s kicking extended the gap beyond 30 by the final whistle. A good result for the Canadians with some players putting themselves in senior selection frame in the immediate future, while the younger All-Americans will chalk this up as a learning experience with a view to challenging for higher honours further down the line.

ALL-AMERICANS 13
Tries – J. Johnson
Cons – G. Cantorna
Pens – G. Cantorna 2

MAPLE LEAFS 45
Tries – J. Goss 2, S. Svoboda 3, P. Woods
Cons – J. Neilson 3
Pens – J. Neilson 3

WOMEN’S COLLEGIATE ALL-AMERICANS
1 Rebekah Hebdon 2 Bridget Kahele 3 Azniv Nalbandian 4 Jennifer Johnson (capt.) 5 Haley Schafer 6 Yeja Dunn 7 Taylah Pipkin 8 Ilona Maher 9 Kat Ramage 10 Gabriella Cantorna 11 Danielle Ordway 12 McKenzie Hawkins 13 Sarah Buonpane 14 Uzo Okoro 15 Nicole Benedetti

16 Frieda Fetu’u 17 Francesca Sands 18 Kaitlyn Broughton 19 Megan Rom 20 Jessica Lewis 21 Bailey Johnson 22 Elizabeth Rose 23 Lanoira Duhart

CANADA MAPLE LEAFS
1 Brittany Kassil 2 Megan Copeland-Dinan 3 Chelsea Minter 4 Camille Provencal-Aube 5 Daria Keane 6 Gillian Boag 7 Sara Svoboda 8 Gabrielle Senft 9 Lori Josephson (capt.) 10 Jess Neilson 11 Lisa Gauthier 12 Mackenzie Higgs 13 Julia Goss 14 Natasha Smith 15 Alanna Fittes

16 Kathleen Keller 17 Colleen Irowa 18 Simone Savary 19 Emma Taylor 20 Ngalula Fuamba 21 Justine Pelletier 22 Gillian Allen 23 Petra Woods