VANCOUVER, B.C.- The Central Washington University women's rugby team looks to bounce back after a slow start to the 2018 Vancouver Rugby Sevens Festival.
 
SEMIFINALS vs. BC RUGBY
The Wildcats were forced to play man down after senior Jennifer Johnson received a yellow card in the second minute of action. BC Rugby capitalized on their power play and scored the first try of the match in the fourth minute.
 
Following a brief intermission, Paige Wyatt received an offload from Yana Manoa and found space. Wyatt scurried 40 meters before being tackled by a couple of BC Rugby defenders. The Wildcats knocked on the door of the try line, but were held up by the tough BC Rugby defense at the five-meter line. A CWU penalty gave away possession, and BC Rugby managed to extend their lead to ten following a long run down the right side of the pitch.
 
CWU vs. UNIVERSITY OF SASKATOON
The CWU women bounced back from their loss to BC Rugby in excellent fashion. The Wildcats defeated the University of Saskatoon 31-5, behind tries from Ashley Rolsma, Spencer Boldt, Samantha Pinson, and Joanna Moreira. 

THIRD PLACE PLAYOFF vs. UNIVERSITY OF REGINA
The Wildcats closed out the Vancouver Rugby Festival with a hard fought victory over the University of Regina. Central Washington downed the Huskies, 15-12, to earn third place in the tournament. Leah Ingold highlighted the play of the Wildcats in their last fixture, scoring a pair of tries. Hannah Fallon also recorded a try in the match to help CWU bring home the bronze. 

QUOTABLE
"Day 2 of the Vancouver 7s was a stunning contrast to the drenched conditions of yesterday," CWU interim head coach Trevor Richards said. "This allowed for more free-flowing rugby and our ladies showed a continued upward trajectory in the way they played. We dropped a close first game but then managed to win our last two games of the day to finish 3rd. This was a good start to our 7s season because of the level of play, the mixed conditions, and then the need to dig deep after our reserves were depleted due to injuries. I'm really proud of the group and their efforts this week. They've set the tone for the rest of the year.  We will transition briefly to some 15s for a one-off exhibition against BYU next month and then we're back to 7s in preparation for nationals."
 
-CWU-