VANCOUVER, B.C.- The Central Washington University women's rugby team completed the opening day of the Vancouver Sevens Rugby Festival Thursday, defeating one of four opponents.
 
The Wildcats, who earned the No. 4 seed at the conclusion of pool play, will face No. 1 BC Rugby Friday morning at 11:56 am PST in a semifinal bout.
 
A Central Washington victory against BC Rugby would result in a finals appearance against the winner of No. 2 University of Victoria vs. No. 3 University of Regina. Kickoff for the finals match is scheduled for 4:22 pm PST tomorrow afternoon.
 
The Wildcats kicked off action in Canada with a 7-10 loss to the University of Regina.
 
"Day 1 was a mixed bag of sorts," CWU interim head coach Trevor Richards explained. "We started the first game slower than a tortoise in wet cement, but in the second half we began to shake some of the off-season rust and close the gap. Unfortunately, we left the comeback until a little too late and we dropped the first match to Regina by a conversion."
 
Central's second fixture of the day was another heartbreaking defeat to the host of the Vancouver Rugby Festival, BC Rugby. The Wildcats fought hard, but came up just short as they succumbed 14-12.
 
Later in the day, the Wildcats fell to the University of Victoria, 31-0.
 
"We showed continued improvement against BC Rugby and fought hard all match, we just didn't put it all together and lost another close battle," Richards said. "Victoria was definitely the toughest match of the day. They possess great speed, solid ball players, and they have clearly been outside working on their systems. Our ladies fought hard though and again, showed an upward trajectory in their continuity and general play."
 
CWU squared off against the University of Saskatchewan to close out pool play. The Wildcats scored early and often as they cruised to a 31-0 victory over the Huskies.
 
"The last game was against Saskatoon and it was a good way to cap the day off," Richards said. "We moved the ball nicely and were physically dominant throughout the match and won with a little flair. We're obviously not thrilled with our record on the day, but considering where we are in our 7s season, I'm happy to see consistent upward movement in how we play and react to difficult situations. The weather tested us with relentless cold rain from morning until night. Tomorrow will hopefully bring about some sunshine and more free flowing rugby as we enter the semi-finals. It should be a great day.
 
Samantha Pinson, Paige Wyatt, Emma Leonard, Spencer Boldt, and Ashley Rolsma recorded tries for the Wildcats on Thursday. Leonard handled the majority of conversions, with Leah Ingold also tallying a couple.
 
Tomorrow's knockout rounds will be streamed live here.
 
-CWU-