The Queen's Gaels are national champions after winning the U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championship at Nixon Field Sunday.

Queen's Women's Rugby defeated the Ottawa Gee-Gees 26-18 in the Gold Medal Game to hoist the Molinex Trophy as national champions.

The game was tied 15-15 at half time before Jaden Walker (Oakville, Ont.) scored a try in the 49th minute to give Queen's a lead they would not relinquish on their way to the eight-point win.

Sophie de Goede (Victoria, B.C.), who was named U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championship tournament MVP, finished the game with one try, one convert, and two penalty converts. 



de Goede was also named the tournament MVP after the Championship game.

"I'm honestly speechless," de Goede said after the game. "This is the best week that I've ever had. I'm so proud of the way that our team played. We couldn't ask for anything else. This whole week, every single game, they've been grinding it out. They've been so gritty, so passionate. And I really feel like we've been a family this whole time."

Kianna Kozak (Sturgeon County, Alta.) also hit the scoresheet, opening the scoring for Queen's with a try in the fifth minute.

Maddy Kushner (Ottawa, Ont.) was named the Player of the Game for the Gaels in the Gold Medal Game. She said after the game the national championship was a team effort.

"I'm so thankful to have such awesome teammates. They've been there for me for the past two years, especially with COVID, and we've been working towards this for so long. It's feels so good that we were successful."

For Queen's, Sunday's Championship win was redemption after finishing second at the U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championship in 2019 and a great way to cap off a two-year journey after the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It says something about the group of women that I get the chance to work with, when we put something like this at the top of our bulletin board two years ago, going and competing in and winning a national championship on our home pitch," said Women's Rugby Head Coach Dan Valley. "To see that come to fruition is an unbelievable feeling. I couldn't be more proud of our athletes, our coaching staff, our support staff. It was a team effort every single day to get here."