ST. CHARLES, Mo. (Feb. 23) – The Central Washington University women's rugby team fell to Lindenwood University, 39-5.
"I have mixed feelings about today. I'm happy we showed improvement in a few key areas but then lacked consistency in our execution," CWU Head Coach
Trevor Richards said afterward. "Additionally, there were several lapses in judgement and decision-making with ball in hand. Overall, we showed improvement and played hard. We're heading in the right direction."
Just four minutes into the contest, the Wildcats were awarded a scrum on the Lions' 10-meter line, but the Lindenwood defense held the 'Cats out. The Crimson and Black later had a scrum on Lindenwood's 5-meter line, but again the Lions held the line.
Lindenwood scored their first try after holding the defensive line, staking out a 5-0 lead. They added a try and conversion later in the first half for a 14-0 advantage after the conversion.
A lineout later in the half gave way to another try and a 21-0 lead for the Lions.
Central Washington scored their only try just prior to a lightning delay for a 21-5 score line.
After the lightning delay, a yellow card put the Wildcats down a woman for 10 minutes. The Lions knocked through a penalty conversion to extend their lead to 24-5. The Lions managed to string together multiple phases after the penalty, but a knock-on near mid pitch gave the Wildcats the scrum feed. After the scrum, the Lions drove for a try but the Wildcat defense held their line to hold up the try.
Another penalty later in the second half gave Lindenwood a second chance at a penalty goal, but their attempt was unsuccessful.
With the Wildcats back at full strength following the penalty, the Lions managed to find the try zone again for a 29-5 lead. They added one more try for a 39-5 final.
"Thank you to Lindenwood for a great match and generous hospitality," Richards added. "We look forward to our next battle."
The Crimson and Black are back in action on Saturday (Mar. 9) at Tomlinson Stadium for a fixture against Brigham Young University.
