CALGARY – After securing their third straight Canada West regular season title, the University of Calgary Dinos women's rugby team will head into the 2017 Canada West Women's Rugby Championship as the number one seed.

The Dinos concluded their regular season last weekend with a double-header on the west coast. On Friday they played the UBC Thunderbirds, where they got out to a quick 17-0 lead thanks to tries by Emmanuella Anye, Cassidy Jones, and Samantha May. The game was not without adversity as the T-Birds fought back, cutting the deficit to within three on multiple occasions. The Dinos prevailed in the end, 27-22, against the team they will now face this weekend in their CW semi-final match.

"In addition to the physical demands of playing two games in three days, we had many logistical challenges to overcome," said Dinos head coach Simon Chi. "This is a resilient bunch and they were able to overcome these challenges.  We did not play particularly well against a very feisty UBC team but still managed to grind out a result."

To secure their matchup against the T-Birds, and the number one seed, the Dinos defeated the University of Victoria Vikes two days later in a rematch of last year's Canada West championship final. The Dinos strung together their most complete game of the season as five different players scored tries to secure a 34-22 win. 

As coach Chi remarks, the team refocused after the UBC match.

"On our day off between games, we had the opportunity to reflect on our performance and identify areas where we needed to improve.  We made some adjustments and I feel we did a better job of executing our game plan against a very dangerous team from UVic."

After securing their first ever Canada West title at last year's conference championship in Victoria, the Dinos will look to defend their banner on home soil this weekend. 

"It is always nice to play in front of a home crowd. The team will look to our boisterous friends, family, and supporters to provide us with some positive energy during the game on Friday," said Chi. "The irony is that while the tournament is being held in Calgary, we are playing on fields that we have not played on in three years, thus it feel more like road games for us.  However, we have played the entire season so far on the road so it is something that we are comfortable with."

There is plenty of incentive to repeat as champions, as a spot in the national tournament is on the line for the winning team. The Pronghorns will be hosting this year's tournament in Lethbridge, meaning the 'Horns have already secured a birth in the tournament and only one spot remains for another Canada West club.

As Emily Tutossi explains, the team must remain focused as they attempt to repeat as Canada West champions.

"The big thing for preparation right now is reflecting on past performances, personally, and team wise to see where we can tweak and build," said fifth-year Emily Tutossi, who made her season debut last weekend after returning from injury. "This tournament is a time to perform and anything can happen as we have learned in years past."  

Although the Dinos are no strangers to the playoffs, having qualified for the Canada West playoffs for six straight seasons, last season marked the Dinos' first-ever appearance at the national tournament. The Dinos went on to win the bronze medal at nationals, placing third among the eight best teams in U SPORTS.

The 2017 Canada West Women's Rugby Championship will be contested across two days, in two venues. The semi-final matchups will be played at Hellard Field on Friday, Oct 20. The bronze and gold medal matchups will be played at McMahon Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 22.