The Stingers paid tribute to the late Kelly-Anne Drummond prior to their victory against the McGill Martlets.
The Concordia Stingers hosted the Kelly-Anne Drummond Cup for the 20th time on Sept. 8. An emotional atmosphere permeated the Concordia Stadium on Sunday afternoon at this annual event paying tribute to the late Kelly-Anne Drummond, a student-athlete of the Stingers women’s rugby team between 1999-2001. Drummond was murdered by her partner in 2004.
For the Stingers, this game against the McGill Martlets meant so much more than four points in the standings.
“[This game] is not about winning a cup; it’s about Kelly-Anne’s memory,” Stingers head coach Craig Beemer said postgame. “We have the most people in the stands for this game, our alumni are back, it is just a really special day.”
Beemer added that the whole week of preparation for this game has been unlike any other in the season.
As the game got underway, the Stingers’ motivation to play hard in honour of Drummond was on full display.
Just four minutes into the game, the Stingers collected their first try. With the wind howling, Stingers first-year winger Sarah Montminy used a burst of speed to rush into the goal area to give the Stingers a 5-0 lead. From there, the Stingers never looked back.
Three tries from three different Stingers players gave Concordia a commanding 24-0 lead 22 minutes into the game. Stingers back Olivia Miller added two more tries of her own to conclude a dominant first half for the Stingers, leading 34-0.
Beemer said after the game that he was happy with how his team adjusted after a much closer game last weekend against Bishop’s University.
“We really struggled to move the ball against Bishop’s,” Beemer said. “I think [the fans] noticed today that we actually used the width of the field, so I’m excited to continue that.”
In the second half, McGill came out of the gate looking to close the large score gap. Four minutes in, the Martlets got their first try. Once McGill made it 34-5, the Stingers went back on command.
Stingers’ hooker Juliette Lachapelle-Marceau, scrum-half Megan Allard, and back Joelle Vallee all added tries to seal a decisive 53-5 victory. After the game, Stingers’ captain and prop, Fallon Coulouris, spoke about the mindset and keys to the team’s success.
“My motto this year is ‘give 100 per cent’ as soon as you step on the field,” Coulouris said. “It helps so much more when you love the people next to you, so our team is really about just loving each other, building each other up, [we] don’t tear each other down, and I feel that makes us such a better team.”
The Stingers will return on the pitch on Sept. 14 when they play at the University of Ottawa. Kick-off against the Gee-Gees is set for 1 p.m.
