October 16, 2016
Central Washington Women’s Rugby Claws Way for Win Against Quinnipiac
Photo: National Intercollegiate Rugby Association, Central Washington University Wildcats & Quinnipiac Bobcats
Doug Coil
Ellensburg, Washington, Oct. 15, 2016, Women’s Rugby
In a battle between the two top ranked teams in the recent National Intercollegiate Rugby Association Poll, the Central Washington University women’s rugby team won 19-12 in a defensive match against Quinnipiac University.
Central Washington now has a 3-0 record in the series with Quinnipiac, is 6-2 on the year, including 4-0 in the NIRA. They opened the year 2-2 on a Canadian trip splitting matches against both the University of Lethbridge and the University of Victoria.
The defending national champion Quinnipiac women’s rugby team saw its 11-match win streak come to an end, since the Bobcats fell to Central on Oct. 18, 2015. The Bobcats (5-1 NIRA) had not lost since a 33-12 home loss to Central Washington last season before going on to defeat Army in the national championship.
The Bobcats scored the first points of the match when center Flora Poole (Christchurch, New Zealand) took an offload from scrumhalf Mason Johnson for a try and a 5-0 lead at 12 minutes.
Central Washington then scored 19 straight points. In the 29th minute. Yana Manoa found Kathlena Truong on the right wing and Truong went in for the try. A few minutes later, Suiluana A’au broke through the Bobcat defense for a try and Cassidy Meyers made the conversion and a 12-5 lead. In the 40th minute, the Wildcats gained possession out of a scrum and Leah Ingold offloaded to Meyers for a try, which she also converted to lead 19-5 at halftime.
Johnson’s try early in the second half closed the gap to 19-12 with 35 minutes left, after the Bobcats added a conversion from senior Madison Gegeckas (Downington, Pa.). However, the Wildcats were able to prevent the Bobcats from getting into the try zone the rest of the way.
Quinnipiac narrowed the score to 19-12 with a try by Mason Johnson in the 43rd minute, as Madison Gegeckas added the conversion. That is when the defenses took over as additional points were not put on the board.
The Wildcats are back in action on Oct. 22 in Ellensburg against Brigham Young University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Quinnipiac head coach Becky Carlson said “We went out early and put points on the board in some less than desirable rugby conditions. This QU squad is the toughest and strongest to date and the few mistakes we made today, Central capitalized on them. I can say with 100% confidence and no hesitation, there isn’t a game in women’s college rugby in this country that could match the athleticism and determination of the 30 student-athletes out on the field today.”
Next weekend, Quinnipiac travels to face Castelton University in Vermont at Noon.
Scoring recap
Central Washington tries: Truong (29′), A’au (32′), Meyers (40′); conversions: Meyers (2)
Quinnipiac tries: Poole (11′), Johnson (43′); conversions: Gegeckas
