ELLENSBURG, Wash.- The No. 3 ranked Central Washington University women's rugby team will travel to Hamden, Conn. for the second time this season for a National Intercollegiate Rugby Association semifinal matchup against rivals No. 2 Quinnipiac University.
 
The match is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 17 at 10 a.m. EST at the Quinnipiac Rugby Field. The winner of Friday's matchup will face the winner of No. 1 Dartmouth College and No. 5 Harvard on Sunday at 12 p.m. EST. 
 
"As much as we want to look ahead and dream of winning a national title, we need to focus on the challenge in front of us on Friday," CWU interim head coach Trevor Richards said. "Being the third encounter with Quinnipiac this season, we have a good idea of where their strengths and weaknesses lie. That being said, there's no doubt it's going to be a tough day at the office. They play a well-executed, wide-game and their defense is stout. But we know we can beat them and that is our expectation. Regardless of what happens this weekend, I'm proud of my team and the way they have grown and come together in the last 2 1/2 months. They're an inspiringly powerful group of young women and it's been an honor coaching them."
 
Fridays matchup with the Bobcats will be the third meeting between the squads this season. The Wildcats split a home and home series during the season, with the home team being victorious each time. CWU defeated Quinnipiac 31-22 at the Wildcat Rugby Pitch, before falling 24-29 in Conn.
 
The Wildcats are 5-1 all-time against Quinnipiac in the regular season but the Bobcats hold the advantage in postseason play, defeating CWU 46-24 in the NIRA National Championship last season.
 
No. 2 Quinnipiac defeated No. 6 Norwich by a score of 55-7 in the quarterfinals to gain a birth to the semifinals. The QU defense is led by senior Jessica Maricich, who recently became the first player in program history to record 200 career tackles.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats welcomed the Seattle Saracens to the Wildcat Rugby Pitch on Nov. 4 for an exhibition match. The teams battled through three 20-minute periods, which ended in a 43-0 victory for the Wildcats. Senior Ashley Rolsma and sophomore Suiluana A'au recorded a pair of tries apiece to lead the CWU attack. Senior center Emma Leonard capitalized on a total of four conversions against the Saracens and Jenny Johnson, Samantha Pinson and Tiana A'au also recorded tries.
 
WAYS TO WATCH
The NIRA announced that The Rugby Channel (therugbychannel.tv) will be broadcasting the NIRA tournament semifinals on Friday, November 17 and the National Championship match which will take place on Sunday, November 19.
 
Viewers who would like to catch the broadcast should visit therugbychannel.tv. Those with current subscriptions will be able to view the semifinals and finals along with other premium content featured on the platform. New members will need to sign up for an account by utilizing the link in the upper right hand corner of the home page. Users will be prompted to enter an email and password and follow additional on-screen prompts to register. The cost of subscription is $7.99/month or $59.99/year and includes access to all premium content The Rugby Channel offers on its online platform.
 
For more information on the NIRA Championship, visit ncaacollegerugby.com or follow NIRA on Twitter @NIRArugby. Be sure to follow Central Washington Rugby on Twitter at @CWURugbyWomen.


 
-CWU-