BELLEVILLE, Ont. - The Durham Lords won their third consecutive OCAA Women's Rugby Sevens Championship, becoming the first team in the sport to reach the milestone.

Following a regular season that saw the Lords finish 13-1, Durham finished first place in the standings and earned a bye through the opening round of the championship straight to the semifinals.

After the Algonquin Wolves defeated the host Loyalist Lancers earlier in the morning, the Lords had their semifinal opponent penciled in.

Algonquin struck first in the semifinal, scoring a try as a result of a long run and punching the ball in at the line only 48 seconds in.

The Lords would not trail for long as Sierra Austin brought the score line level before Shay Morris successfully kicked a convert through the uprights for a 7-5 lead.

When Morris kicked it back to Algonquin, a mishandled retrieval from the Wolves resulted in Amber Edgerton stealing the ball and running it down the pitch for another score.

Edgerton scored one more as the game clock struck seven minutes to give the league leaders a 19-5 lead heading into halftime.

Only one minute into the second half, Danika Johnston made her way down the field for a try to extend the lead. 

Durham continued their scoring ways through the second half, eventually winning 41-5 to secure a spot in the gold medal match for the fifth consecutive season. 

Maya Austin was named the player of the game for the Lords in the semifinal.

The Lords would match up with the St. Lawrence Surge in the gold medal match, having faced them twice in the regular season with each side taking home a win. This would also mark the second consecutive year that the gold medal showdown was between the Lords and Surge.

Durham scored incredibly early to open the lead when a score by Danika Johnston put the Lords ahead only 51 seconds in.

St. Lawrence put a response on the board nearly just over 90 seconds later and made the easy convert to tie it at seven.

Edgerton, the OCAA rookie of the year scored in the fifth minute. Her third try of the day put the Lords ahead by seven again.

In the final seconds of the first half, Edgerton trucked through several defenders before tossing the ball to Morris to extend their lead to 19-7 going into the break.

Less than two minutes into the second half, a big run from Camryn Wood put the Lords in fantastic field position, allowing Edgerton to score her second of the match and fourth of the day.

A late try in the 13th minute from the Surge brought them back within 10 points, but it would not be enough as the Lords would hang on for a 24-14 win.

Morris earned Championship MVP honours, while Austin and Edgerton were rewarded for their efforts with spots on the Championship All-Star team.

In six seasons since beginning OCAA competition, the Lords have won three gold and two silver medals.

Stay in the know regarding Durham College Athletics and follow us on Instagram, X and Facebook.