SHERBROOKE, Que. – Some say summer officially ends at Laobour Day; others hope it continues on for a few more weeks.  At Bishop's University the start of a full slate of action gets underway this weekend indicating the fall season, at least in sports terms, is here.
 
On top of the Gaiters football home opener on Saturday, the women's soccer team, men's lacrosse team and men's rugby team all get their 2015 campaigns underway while the women's rugby team takes to the pitch for the third time in September and the golf team tees it up in their second event of the season.
 
Women's Soccer
The Bishop's Gaiters women's soccer team gets the ball rolling with a pair of contests this weekend both on Coulter Field.  Friday the UQAM Citadins are in town at 7 p.m.  Last year Bishop's and UQAM spilt their season series each defending their home turf.  On Sunday at 3 p.m. the No. 1 ranked Laval Rouge et Or are in Lennoxville.  Laval rolled over the Gaiters in both meetings in 2014 en route to winning the CIS National Championship, a tournament they hosted in Quebec City.
 
Bishop's for their part will look to improve on a 1-12-1 record from a season ago when they finished in eighth place in the RSEQ and failed to qualify for the playoffs.
 
Watch both of this weekend's game live online at www.gaiters.ca/webcast.
 
Golf
The Bishop's Gaiters golf team that bolsters both a men's and women's squad will compete in their second tournament of the year this weekend.  They tee it up as tournament hosts at the Milby Golf Club.  The men's team will look to better their ninth place finish at the opening tournament held at the end of August.  Optimism continues to run high as the Gaiters hope to use home course advantage to lower their scores.
 
On the women's side the Lady Gaiters are hoping to make up some ground after their fourth place finish at the opening tournament.  They too will have home course advantage.  Veteran Lindsay Reid (Beaconsfield, Que.) led the way at the first tournament and will be leaned upon to do the same on a course she has looped a number of times.
 
Tee times for the two-round event begin at 12 Noon on Saturday and 7:30 a.m. on Sunday.
 
Men's Lacrosse
One step at a time is what the Bishop's Gaiters men's lacrosse team must preach to one another as they enter the 2015 campaign.  The Gaiters already have their ticket punched to the 2015 Baggataway Cup as tournament hosts. As the season gets underway Bishop's still has work to do as a first-place finish in the East division of CUFLA results in a bye to the semi-final.
 
The Gaiters season gets underway this weekend as they face off with the Trent Excalibur on Saturday at 5 p.m. in Peterborough and with the Ottawa Gee-Gees, on Sunday at 6 p.m. in the nation's capital.
 
Bishop's had success against both squads last year sweeping the two Ontario teams.  Bishop's finished in second place in the CUFLA East in 2014 and qualified for the Baggataway Cup only to lose in the first round of the annual championship event.
 
Women's Rugby
The Gaiters (0-2) women's rugby team will hit the road for the first time in 2015.  They travel to Montreal for a tilt with the Concordia Stingers (1-0) on Sunday at 1 p.m.  Bishop's, after a hectic start to their year, showed promise. The young squad has already bettered their points scored total from 2014 after losses to Sherbrooke (1-1) and Montreal (1-0).  Concordia, the RSEQ finalists a year ago, rolled over Carleton (0-1) 57-3 on Tuesday.
 
Men's Rugby
Last year the Bishop's Gaiters men's rugby team turned a corner.  They finished second in the RSEQ and hosted a playoff game eventually falling to the McGill Redmen in a thriller on Coulter Field in the semi-final.  This year they look to go one step farther and return to the RSEQ Final, a place they have not been since 2009. Their 2015 campaign kicks off on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Montreal against the 2014 RSEQ Champion Concordia Stingers.
 
Bishop's and Concordia split a pair of games in 2014 each defending their home soil. The Stingers ended the year in first place, beat Montreal in the semi-final then dethroned eight-time defending champion McGill in overtime in the RSEQ championship game.
 
Sunday's contest will be the first of the campaign for both teams.
 
Follow all the Bishop's Gaiters teams in action as fall unofficially kicks off at www.gaiters.ca or on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube using @BishopsGaiters.
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