Women's Rugby | 5/21/2017 11:01:00 AM

GLENDALE, Colo.- The No. 5 Central Washington University women's rugby team earned a semifinal berth in the USA Rugby 7s College National Championship with a 17-12 overtime win against No. 4 Army Sunday morning at the Infinity Park Rugby Stadium.
 
CWU will compete against Lindenwood in the semifinals of the National Championships at 1:20 pm MST. The Lions defeated Michigan, 17-0, to earn their spot in the semis.
 
Central Washington tallied three tries in the fixture, including Suiluana A'au notching two tries. Meyers (1-for-2) contributed a game-tying 40-meter conversion to even the score at 12-12 in the closing minutes of the match to send the match into overtime. The Black Knights managed 12 points, but could not match Central's intensity in extra time.
 
Army jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after Rebecca Stipp sprinted past the Wildcat's defensive line. Central Washington clawed their way back within two points following a try in the fifth minute by A'au. CWU trailed 5-7 heading into halftime.
 
Army struck first again in the second stanza, but the Wildcats responded well with Meyers bulling her way into the try zone. With time running out, a successful conversion was required to even the score and Meyers delivered. Meyers notched a 35-meter conversion to tie the game 12-12.
 
Extra time was a fitting requirement to decide a victor in this tightly contested match. In the second minute of the overtime period Jennifer Johnson offloaded to A'au down the right side of the pitch. A'au was met by an Army defender 20-meters away from the try line and bullied her way through the tackle to give the Wildcats the match victory.
 
On the opposite side of bracket, Dartmouth advanced past Penn State, 20-14, and Life defeated UC Davis. The Darts will square off against the Running Eagles to determine who will advance to the National Championships.
 
Scoring Summary vs. Army
02:00  Army 7          
05:00  Suiluana A'au 5        
Halftime Score: Central Washington 5, Army 7
09:00  Army 5
12:00  Cassidy Meyers 7     
End of Regulation Score: Central Washington 12, Army 12
16:00  Suiluana A'au 5
Final Score: Central Washington 17, Army 12
 
-CWU-