Life University Athletics

MARIETTA, Ga. ---- The Life University women's rugby team fell in a tight match to Central Washington Saturday afternoon 10-5. Seniors Kennedy Keith, Malery Billingy, Morgan Crossfield, Sydnee Cervinski, Chyenne Samuels, Courtney Morris, Sylina Flowers, Sophie Pyrz and Tatum Johnson were honored before the match for their contributions to the program.

In a low scoring affair, both teams battled for the entire 80 minutes that featured outstanding defense inside the 22 for both teams. Central Washington scored early in the first half, as Life U began to settle into the match down 5-0. Kate Buzby put together an incredible run carrying nearly the entire field with resilience before the offload to Billingy tied the match at five. Heading into the half, the score remained locked at five.

Central Washington held position inside the 22 for Life U for 20 minutes in the second half as the Running Eagles proved their defensive strength with their backs against the wall. Eventually, the pick and go from the forwards of CWU broke through for a try to lead 10-5. Life U battled its way down the field as the Running Eagles maintained possession in the final moments of the match. Both teams continued to battle as it looked like Life U would manage to send the match into extra time. An unfortunate knock-on inside five meters gave possession to CWU who held onto the ball until the final whistle to earn the 10-5 win.

"I am so pleased with the effort the squad gave today," head coach Rosalind Chou stated. "It's the best defensive game I've seen them put forth this year. They were very disciplined as well as we had been having penalty issues in all of our previous outings. We continue to improve each and every day and we look very much forward to a rematch with CWU in three weeks in Ellensburg."

The women's rugby team will return to action on Saturday, April 3, when they travel to Orlando, Fla. to compete in the Tropical 7s event.