ELLENSBURG, Wash. — The No. 4 Central Washington University men's rugby team travels to. No.1 Lindenwood University for their first match of 2021.
GAME INFORMATION
Saturday, March 13
At Lindenwood
7:00 p.m. CT (5:00 p.m. PT)
St. Charles, MO
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"We are incredibly grateful to our athletic department and university for allowing us to safely compete this weekend, what an amazing experience this will be for our student-athletes," CWU Head Coach Todd Thornley said. "Lindenwood are clearly the best team in the country right now and have been playing some great rugby which presents a massive challenge for us in all areas in the game. I'm excited to see how our group responds under pressure and look forward to seeing our team compete again after over a year out of the game."
SCOUTING No. 1 LINDENWOOD
The Lions enter the week with a perfect 4-0 record, seeing them land the No. 1 spot in the Goff Rugby rankings. They are 3-0 on the road and 1-0 in the friendly confines of Hunter Stadium. Prior to the matchup with Central on Saturday, Lindenwood also hosts Marian at 3:00 p.m. with a B-Side.
In their last fixture, Lindenwood dominated Arkansas State to a tune of 59-15. Cael Hodgson and Morgan Purcell tallied a pair of tries each. Evan Williams knocked six conversions through the uprights in the victory.
Both the first and second XV's sides took on Life University on February 20. The Libs notched a pair of wins. In the matchup of the first XV's, Lindenwood captured a 45-27 win. Purcell and Hodgson were the catalysts for the Lions, while Williams worked his magic with the boot.
On the season, Lindenwood has outscored opponents 157-72.
THE No. 4 WILDCATS
Coach Thornley was named the USA Rugby U-23 XV's Head Coach this week by the Eagles.
Saturday's matchup will be the first contest of 2021 for Central Washington. The Wildcats received a fourth-place ranking in the Goff Rugby Rankings this week.
The Wildcats are 1-2 since 2017 against Lindenwood. The last meeting between the two sides came on May 25, 2019. The Lions barley slid past the Wildcats, 17-14, in the USA Rugby College 7's National Championship.
Central and Lindenwood last met in a XV's fixture on January 27, 2018. The Lions captured a 27-15 victory over the 'Cats.=
Jack Wendling scored two tries, while Reuben Ludick added one.
