ELLENSBURG, Wash. - On a short week after a gritty victory over Victoria, the Central Washington University men's rugby team will look to build off yesterday's result as the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds travel to Ellensburg for a Saturday afternoon clash.
 
FIXTURE INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Jan. 27
Kickoff: 2:00 p.m. PST
Opponent: University of British Columbia
Location: Steve Hertling Field at Tomlinson Stadium | Ellensburg, Wash.
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QUOTING HEAD COACH TODD THORNLEY
"We have the utmost admiration and respect for UBC, who have arguably been the best collegiate side in North America for the past decade. They are a skilled, physical, and smart rugby team who like on Tuesday, will put us under immense pressure throughout the entire game. We need to grow from Tuesday at set pieces and in attack for us to have a chance and we look forward to that challenge."
 
ABOUT THE FIXTURE
The Thunderbirds will enter Tomlinson Stadium with a 5-5 overall record in the fall. They've been off since late November when they won all three games of the Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship.
 
In that stretch, UBC defeated Calgary, Guelph, and Victoria by a combined score of 112-20.
 
The Wildcats are coming off of a gritty outing at the University of Victoria. Despite being down 17-22 at halftime, the Crimson and Black shut out the Vikes in the second half and did enough on offense to earn the season-opening win.
 
The 'Cats are 2-0 all-time vs. the Thunderbirds. In their most recent matchup, CWU defeated UBC on the road last January by a score of 32-17. On that day, the Wildcats used a second-half surge to top the Thunderbirds.