Women's Rugby | 4/9/2016 4:38:00 PM
ELLENSBURG, Wash (April. 9) – The Central Washington University women's rugby defended its home pitch Saturday morning by defeating the University of Lethbridge by a score of 41-7, scoring 24 unanswered points in the second half.
"Lethbridge had a disciplined defensive line with good line speed," Head coach
Mel Denham said. "They were connected and pressured the ball well taking away our options on either side."
Mele Halahuni broke through the Pronghorn's defensive line early in the first half, scoring the first of two tries by the fullback.
The Wildcats opened up a 12-0 lead in the 23
rd minute when
Meagan Curtis punched in her first try and
Emma Leonard converted her first conversion kick of the match.
The Pronghorns touched down in the try zone in the 29
th minute and closed the scoring margin to 12-7.
Cassidy Meyers rounded out the Wildcats' scoring in the first half with a long run in the 27
th minute to give the home team a 17-7 advantage. The All-American Fly-half struck again in the opening minutes of the second half as Meyers touched down for her second try of the day.
"We adjusted in the second half by getting a little more depth on attack, which allowed us more time and pace on the ball," Denham added.
Rosalind Pena added another try in the 68
th minute to inflate the lead to 29-7 and
Jennifer Johnson concluded the second half scoring barrage with her lone try of the match.
The Wildcats will look ahead to another home matchup against the Oregon Sports Union Rugby club on April. 16.
"Next week will be another competitive match to prepare us for playoffs," Denham said. "Tomorrow the team will recover and be back to work on Monday. Our mindset is constant improvement and getting the small things right. We have our system in place and this week we will continue to improve on our execution and decision making."
Scoring Breakdown
Try
Mele Halahuni – 2
Cassidy Meyers – 2
Rosa Pena -1
Meagan Curtis -1
Jennifer Johnson -1
Converisons
Emma Leonard - 3
