Ellensburg, Wash. (Oct. 13) -Under sun-drenched skies, the Central Washington University women's rugby team (1-1) hosted Washington State. Powered by the A'au sisters, the Wildcats steamrolled the Cougars 83-10 on Saturday.
"It was definitely a good way to respond after last week," head coach
Trevor Richards said. "It is very early in the season, so everything isn't as dialed in as we want it to be, but the ladies definitely took what we needed to work on and implemented it today. I thought our shape and structure was more present."
Suiluana Sooialo A'au got the Wildcat offense going in the 5
th minute of the game. Sui's run towards the try zone started on the right side of the field when she broke free. She went on to touch the ball in the middle of the try zone, setting up a manageable kick for Leah Ingold. Ingold's kick was good, giving the Wildcats an early 7-0 lead. Sui scored four trys on the day.
Tiana A'au found the try zone in the closing seconds of the first half. She battled her way past defenders before sticking the ball on the ground for a try. Tiana's effort gave the Wildcats a comfortable 52-5 lead going into halftime.
It didn't take long for
Tiara A'au to complete the A'au sister hat trick. Tiara's try came as the opening score of the second half. She was met by defenders just yards shy of the try line, but smashed her way through potential tacklers who couldn't bring her down. The sisters compiled six of the 12 team tries for the Wildcats.
"They are absolute monsters on the field," Richards said. "I'm really pleased with how they performed. Leah also did an excellent job of driving the ship around. She put people into extra space which was great for us."
The Wildcats had several other notable performances from Saturday's fixture.
Michel Navarro scored two tries, with one coming in each half.
Brooke Mullins had an early try for the Wildcats. She made a nice run down the left sideline after receiving a pass from
Hailey Thompson.
Paige Wyatt scored a first half try as well. Wyatt picked up a loose ball after a WSU scrum and showed off her speed as she dashed into the try zone.
Lauren Odette scored her first collegiate try in the late stages of the contest.
Gabriella Garcia showed a strong leg, nailing both of her two attempts at conversions.
"We anticipated trying to get as many people on the field as possible," Richards said. "Thankfully we were able to gain a cushion and get some people on the field and get them some experience. It's definitely a different level going from high school to collegiate rugby. I thought Gabby stepped up tremendously. She was our warrior of the week during training, and it showed today."
The next fixture for the Wildcats happens on October 27 against Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah at noon.
