The Burnaby Lake Rugby Club conceded the Gordon Harris Memorial Cup to the Velox Valkyries in the premier women's provincial rugby final.
The defending champions scored first but allowed the unbeaten regular season champions from Victoria to rally for three straight tries before mounting a belated comeback at Klahanie Park in West Vancouver on Saturday.
"It was a really tough game. Actually our best outing against them was this Saurday," said Burnaby Lake head coach Walt Brandl. "We had lots of real close calls but we just weren't able to get it in."
Burnaby took a 7-0 lead on a try from Maria Gallo that was converted by Julia Sugawara.
Natalie Tam and Courtney Blum replied for Velox to give the Valkyries a 12-7 lead at the break.
Amanda Campbell kicked a three-point penalty goal and Lindsay Anderson also crossed the line for a third try to put the visitors up 20-7 in the second half.
Gallo shaved the deficit to six points following an interception that led to her second try of the match. Sugawara booted the twopoint conversion.
Burnaby Lake had a late chance on a breakaway run but lost the ball following a turnover and a late scrum.
In last year's premier final, Burnaby Lake came from behind to edge Velox 17-13 on a lastminute intercept try from Melissa Miyazaki.
"We were hoping for a replay of last year when we pipped them in the end," Brandl said.
The win for Velox capped a perfect 11-0 season and playoff for the Vancouver Island club.
"That was definitely round two for us after the devastating loss last year (to Burnaby Lake)," said Velox captain Sarah Levson in a B.C. Rugby press release. "Our forward play was really strong. - That scrum in the last few minutes was really a phenomenal steal."
In the men's premiership final, third-seeded Capilano nipped top-ranked James Bay 22-21 to bring the Rounsefell Cup back to the Lower Mainland.
Eighteen-year-old winger Nathan Yanagiya scored the game-winning try for the North Shore club, chasing down his own kick ahead to score in the corner.
