VALLEJO, Calif. — Jack Wendling scored three tries in the second half for a hat trick, as the Central Washington University men's rugby team routed Army 51-20.

The victory keeps the Wildcats (8-0) perfect on the season.

"A great finish to a tough game on the road," CWU Head Coach Todd Thornley said.  "Army put us under a ton of pressure in the first half and we did not handle it well at all.  I'm proud of our resolve to put together a better second half of rugby.  We will learn a lot from this and look forward to the next challenge."

Army controlled momentum early in the fixture.  A penalty against Central Washington gave the Black Knights prime positioning to kick for points.  Army elected to attempt the kick, but their kick went wide as the 0-0 score held.

It was Army again threatening in the ninth minute.  They worked their way into the attacking third, and onto the doorstep, before taking a 7-0 lead with a try and conversion.

Central wasted no time finding a response.  Cole Zarcone plunged over the line for the Crimson and Black, but they did not add the conversion, and trailed 7-5.

Penalties once again hampered the Wildcats in the 17^th minute.  The referee saw fit to penalize Central Washington and Army again elected to kick for points.  This time the Golden Knights hit their mark, extending their advantage to 10-5.

The Wildcats brushed off the penalty kick and stormed down the pitch three minutes later; this time Aiden Later made his way in for the try.  After 20 minutes of play, the fixture stood even at 10-10.

Army found themselves the beneficiary of another CWU penalty in the 25^th minute.  After knocking through their last effort, the Golden Knights selected to kick for a third time.  The penalty attempt slipped wide left of the uprights, keeping the score knotted.

Ten minutes later, the Wildcats were admonished again with a penalty.  Army, having found success in their kicking game during open play, elicited to kick for points.  The Golden Knights took their second lead of the game, 13-10.

In the final phases of the first half, a run from Noah Wright gave the Crimson and Black one final opportunity for points.  Central swung play onto the wing and battered away at Army's defense inside the five-meter line.  Out of a ruck, Noah Christy plunged over the line and grounded the ball for a try at the expiration of the first stanza with Wildcats lead 15-13.

Central came out of half time and picked up right where they left off.  Wendling found his way in for his first try in the 45^th minute, giving CWU a bit of breathing room at 22-13.  The Wildcats won a lineout and worked the maul forward towards the goal line, allowing Wendling to press on for the try.  Twelve minutes later, Wendling was in again.  Diego Damian-Hernandez handled the throw on the lineout and Calvin Liulamaga was able to break loose before finding Wendling on an offload.  His second try, and conversion from Lewis Hollidge, put the Wildcats ahead 29-13.

Wright broke away on another big run in the 61^st minute.  He was hauled down from behind near the five-meter line.  Central held possession through the ruck and worked possession wide, where Damian-Hernandez slipped past the defenders for a try near the corner.  Hollidge managed to knock through the conversion on a tough angle for a 36-13 lead.

Four minutes later, Central was threatening again.  Zarcone took possession in the attacking third and sashayed past a pair of Army defenders for his second try.  

Wendling nabbed his hat trick in the 69^th minute with his third try of the contest, extending CWU's advantage to 46-13.

The Wildcats scored once more in the half.  Ivan Pula broke free of the Golden Knights and grounded the ball to bring Central's run to a 36-0 tally.  The 'Cats led 51-13 in the waning minutes.  Army battled into the game's final phase and grounded the ball for a try as the whistle blew for full-time.

Central Washington returns home to Ellensburg, as the Crimson and Black host Utah State on Saturday (March 14) at noon in Tomlinson Stadium.