ELLENSBURG, Wash. (March 14) — Ranked fifth by
Rugby Today, the Central Washington University men's rugby team split in its 15 aside Saturday home doubleheader. The first match was a Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference (NCRC) counter against the University of Oregon.
CWU entered it 5-0 in NCRC play and 7-1 on the season. That record improved with a 44-7 triumph. However, the Wildcats watched the Ducks fly off to an early try lead. But that 7-nothing advantage was short-lived, as CWU responded four minutes later to knot the contest, as part of the 44 consecutive points scored by the Wildcats.
"Once we figured out that we need to hang on to the ball and finish off our opportunities, we did that," CWU head coach
Tony Pacheco said of the quick and decisive Wildcat turnaround.
While clicking offensively, CWU also employed a stifling defense that kept Oregon bottled up in its own zone for much of the contest, particularly in the second half.
"That was something we actually talked about at halftime," Pacheco added. "We wanted to keep them down in their end, keep up with our discipline—no penalties in their half of the field—because they would give us the ball back."
As the lead grew, the Wildcats were able to filter in some key reserves, as a way to build the Wildcats' depth for future matches.
"We're a pretty banged up squad at the moment," Pacheco admitted. "It was all hands on deck for the two matches today. Some of our other guys got opportunities and they stepped up and that was good to see."
In game No. 2, the starters returned to the field for the Wildcats against the Seattle Saracens, the top United States squad competing in the British Columbia Rugby Union. It features numerous members of the U.S. national team, including some former Wildcat greats.
Once again, the Wildcats allowed an early try. But, against a squad of the Saracens' caliber, CWU was unable to mount a full comeback and fell 38-20.
"They're really good," Pacheco acknowledged of the Saracens. "They were able to keep the pressure on us. But we fought back. We would have liked to get the win, obviously, but our guys battled for 80 minutes and that was great. I was really happy with the performance."
It was actually a rematch from a week earlier when CWU lost to the Saracens in Seattle 47-14 in the Cats first defeat of the season. Pacheco says his squad made obvious improvements from the first meeting with a team he says will be the best CWU will face all season long.
"We scored some more points and gave up less, so there were some good takeaways from that, for sure," Pacheco points out. "Building up to the Varsity Cup, a test like this is important for us. We won't [again] see a pack the size of Seattle's—they're massive—or a team with that much talent and that well coached."
Saturday's match was a homecoming, of sorts, for Kellen Gordon, a 2011 CWU graduate and men's rugby player. He agreed that his alma matter played a better match the second time around.
"They play really well together and have high athletic ability," he added. "What's great about being a university program is you [the players] have time to get experience and to play more together. This is there time to grow."
As they continue their growth this season, up next for the Wildcats will be home matches Saturday, against the University of Montana, and Sunday, versus Eastern Washington University. Both are scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
18:00 Trenton Barnes 5 5:00 Dominic Mauer 5/Russell Armstrong
