ELLENSBURG, Wash.- The Central Washington University women's rugby team mounted a second-half surge but came up just short against Life University Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats fell 22-15 in their 2017 home opener at the Wildcat Rugby Pitch.
"Big thank you to Life University for making the journey out here and playing a hard, competitive match," CWU interim head coach
Trevor Richards said. "We weren't perfect by any means, but I am proud of the tenacity that our girls displayed. They pushed Life to the very end. This match showed some promising combinations, as well as, areas of the game that need to be worked on. Despite falling short in the end, I am happy with where we are as a team. I'm proud of the girls and humbled by their ceaseless efforts every week. The grind continues on Monday!"
Wind was a factor for the majority of the bout as it blew in from the northwest at over 20 miles per hour, which assisted kicks at times but more often thwarted lineout throws that CWU needed to maintain some measure of pressure in a phase of the game it could control. More often, the match was contested in the trenches of the breakdown and the set piece of the scrum.
The Wildcats scored first in the contest as
Suiluana A'au caught an offload from
Yana Manoa around midfield and shed three would-be Life tacklers on her way to the try zone.
The Running Eagles responded well, scoring 17 straight points with tries coming from
Alex Sedrick, Lekia Haynes and Darian Lovelace.
Senior
Emma Leonard ended the Eagles' run in the closing minutes of the first half as she bullied her way past Life's defensive line and into the try zone. Central Washington trailed 10-17 heading into halftime.
The Wildcats struck first again in the second stanza as A'au tallied her second try of the match. A'au once again caught the ball near centerfield and stiff-armed her way past multiple defenders along the north sideline. The 2016-17 NIRA All-American's effort cut CWU's deficit to 15-17 with a little over 30 minutes remaining in the match.
The remainder of the contest featured multiple defensive stops from both teams. Central Washington held possession for over ten minutes and knocked on the door of the try zone several times, but the Running Eagles wouldn't budge.
In the 66th minute, the Wildcats were able to break through the Running Eagles' defensive line as
Jennifer Johnson made her way to try, however, the try was negated because Johnson was held up. On the restart, the Wildcats couldn't find their way into try and Life gained possession.
Life carried the ball into Wildcat territory and, after a strong defensive stand by CWU, were able to punch it in for the final score of the match and ultimately the match victory.
The Wildcats will return to the Wildcat Rugby Pitch on Oct. 7 to play host to defending national champions Quinnipiac University.
Scoring Summary vs. Life University
09:00
Suiluana A'au 5
19:00 Life 7
26:00 Life 5
28:00 Life 5
37:00
Emma Leonard 5
Halftime Score: Central Washington 10, Life 17
43:00
Suiluana A'au 5
79:00 Life 5
Final Score: Central Washington 15, Life 22
-CWU-
