UNews - Lethbridge Pronghorns

Moleschi makes instant impact

trevor.kenney — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:03:02 +0000

Kayla Moleschi isn't technically classified as a mature student, but maturity is a big factor in her approach to school, rugby and life in general.

The first-year standout on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby team took some time before deciding to start her university career. Blessed with a natural talent and recognized early as one of the country's best rugby players, she had multiple offers to attend school, but for her the timing had to be right.

"The last couple of years I've been working and I did some schooling at home before I came here, but now I know this is what I want to do," says Moleschi, a product of Williams Lake, B.C. "I want to play rugby but I also want to get an education. Education is something I want, not just something I'm doing to play rugby."

Kayla Moleschi and the Horns are off to CIS Nationals at Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, Nov. 4-6.

She worked four jobs prior to enrolling at the U of L, spending weekends doing clean-up in the local plywood mill in addition to two landscaping jobs and a heavy babysitting load. It almost makes rugby sound easy – and given her performance this season, maybe it has been.

Moleschi was named Canada West Rookie of the Year and a Canada West all-star recently, helping guide the Horns to their sixth consecutive Canada West title and berth in the CIS Championship tournament (Nov. 4-6 in Peterborough, Ont.). A kinesiology student, she has yet to decide what life path she'll take, only that she wants to help the people around her.

"I really want to become someone who can help better other peoples' lives, like that movie Pay it Forward, I really like that whole philosophy," she says. "I just want to be able to help those who are struggling."

She talks about teaching, working with sports teams and helping children.

"I have so many things I want to fall back on but what I want to do, I'm not quite there yet," she says. "Being a teacher would be awesome. I'd be able to help the kids and then still have the summers to pursue my rugby career."

She's been on the national radar for years, having been a part of developmental and touring teams since she was 16 years old. Just recently she was carded as an athlete with the Senior Women's Sevens national team, meaning she will leave the U of L in January for a six-month stint in Victoria to participate in Rugby Canada's centralization training. It presents a barrier to her educational goals but it's one she's planning to tackle.

"I have three options: to take online courses; an independent study course; and an applied studies course," says Moleschi. "I think I'll be doing at least two of those, if not all three. It'll be a little difficult because I won't be in the classroom but I really want this."

She's found the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to be a good fit for her, mainly because of the rugby program and coach Neil Langevin's approach, but also because of the welcoming nature of the city.

"Williams Lake is pretty small but when I came here, I found it's not overwhelming. It's a close-knit community and it reminds me a lot of home," says Moleschi, who lives off campus but just a block from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. "The people are really nice and have been very welcoming. It's hard to leave your friends and family but you have to do things to better yourself and in turn you're only going to be bettering them. I really owe them a ton of thanks for supporting me and helping me get to this point."

Moleschi, a fullback, has earned comparisons to star alumnus Ashley (neé Patzer) Steacy, the most decorated player in Horns' rugby history. She's flattered by the talk and considers herself lucky to have Steacy as a valuable resource.

"I get the chance to talk to her quite a bit and she'll always answer any questions I have," says Moleschi. "I'm going to get the chance to play with her on the Sevens team too, so I'm pretty excited about that. They have such a great tradition here and I'm proud to contribute to that."

GET THE FACTS

· Moleschi scored five tries during the conference season and was fourth in Canada West scoring with 25 points.

· Horns head coach Neil Langevin describes her play as, "electrifying" and "dynamic". "She's an all-around force, and she's got hands of glue, she catches everything that comes her way."

· The Horns finished fourth at CIS Nationals last year and are looking for their fourth national title.

· Pronghorns' third-year player Kelsey Willoughby, of Lethbridge, was named Canada West Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive year. She was also rookie of the year in 2009.

This story first appeared in the November issue of the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

MacDonald to join national squad

trevor.kenney — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 21:24:28 +0000

A third former ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby player has been named to the roster of Canada's Women's Rugby World Cup roster.

Former Pronghorn Ashley MacDonald has been called up from the non-traveling reserve roster as an injury replacement and will join Ashley Patzer and Paige Knauf (nee Burdett) on the Canadian squad that will participate in the Women's Rugby World Cup, Aug. 20 to Sept. 5 in England.

MacDonald suffered a broken leg in the dying minutes of the 2009 CIS Championship game, and endured a long road to recovery. She worked extremely hard to be fit for the summer rugby season and had a very strong showing at the Can-Am series in Vancouver earlier this summer, narrowly missing the Canadian roster. A recent injury to Marie-Eve Brindamour-Carignan prompted the Canadian squad to activate MacDonald off the reserve roster.

MacDonald began her university career in her home province with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Prince Edward Island. While there, MacDonald was a CIS All-Canadian before transferring to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge for her final two seasons. During her two years as a Horn, Ashley was a member of two conference and national champions, earning Canada West All-Star and CIS All-Canadian accolades during both seasons.

The 2010 edition will be the sixth Women's Rugby World Cup.

There are three pools of 12 teams scheduled to compete, each seeded according to the 2006 WRWC results. After the pool phase, teams will be re-seeded based on the position they finished in their respective pools.

Two venues will host the 2010 WRWC in London. Most of the matches will be played at the Surrey Sports Park. The Twickenham Stoop, home of the NEC Harlequins, will host the semifinals and finals.

Canada will play the opening match of the 2010 WRWC when they kickoff against Scotland, Friday, Aug. 20 at 5 a.m. (MST).

Horns win CIS rugby crown

trevor.kenney — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:47:18 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns are three-time national champions after successfully defending their national title for the second consecutive year, beating the St. Francis Xavier X-Women 20-3 in the CIS women's rugby gold medal game on Sunday at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver.

The Pronghorns were in the driver's seat all game, as the X-Women, like every opponent Lethbridge has faced this year, were unable to break down the CIS champions' defence once they fell behind. Andrea Letal (Calgary, Alta.), who was named the CIS tournament MVP, scored a try 11 minutes into the contest, and that turned out to be all the 'Horns needed to take home the gold.

"We were really well composed and the girls played exactly the game plan we asked them to," said Horns' head coach Neil Langevin. "The defence has been the hallmark of this group and it's just a wonderful group to coach. We played defence first. We kept the ball in their end as much as possible and tried to force them into mistakes."

That strategy paid off for Lethbridge, as they extended their lead in the 26th minute when sustained pressure in the X-Women's end of the field resulted in a penalty goal attempt for Ashley Patzer (Lethbridge, Alta.) from about 20 yards out. The All-Canadian and tournament all-star made no mistake, splitting the uprights to put her side up 8-0.

Brittany Orr (Fort Macleod, Alta.), also named to the tournament all-star team, provided the nail in the coffin just a few minutes later. She received the ball on the right wing 30 yards from goal, cut back to the middle of the field to beat a St. FX defender and scored to put her side up 13-0. Patzer's conversion made it 15-0, giving the X-Women little hope of getting back into the game against the stifling Pronghorns defence.

Courtnay Malcom (New Glasgow, N.S.) did get her side on the board before the half-time break, nailing a penalty goal from 20 yards in the 34th minute, but the X-Women could do nothing offensively in the second half. They did push deep into Pronghorn territory occasionally but were never able to finish their drives before the Pronghorn defence won back the ball.

"Our back three were important all weekend," said Langevin. "All the girls did a great job clearing the ball and we credit them a lot because they did face some pressure."

Letal added to her MVP credentials early in the second half with another try, this time a 30-yard sprint down the right wing to all but seal the win for the Horns, putting them up 20-3. It was their second straight meeting with the X-Women in the title game, as they won gold with a 29-15 result last year.

In addition to Letal, Patzer and Orr, Lethbridge's Alex Hendricks (Lomond, Alta.), Kelsey Willoughby (Lethbridge, Alta.) and Brandi Van Eeuwen (Duncan, B.C.) were also named tournament all-stars. Asya Bartley (Ottawa, Ont.), Tyson Beukeboom (Uxbridge, Ont.) and Ghislaine Landry (Toronto, Ont.) were named to the all-star team for St. FX.

UNews - Lethbridge Pronghorns

Moleschi makes instant impact

Related Topics

MacDonald to join national squad

Related Topics

Horns win CIS rugby crown

Related Topics