Women's Rugby Set to Appear in D1 Elite Championship
Women's Rugby / 12.01.22
MARIETTA, Ga. — The Life University women's rugby team will compete in the D1 Elite title game this weekend, facing Lindenwood University.
The Running Eagles will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina to face the Lions on Saturday with hopes of avenging last year's National Title loss.
Entering the championship game, the Running Eagles have an overall record of 4-2 with a stellar 3-1 record away. The women have outscored their opponents 174-142 during the season for a points differential of +30. The Running Eagles' narrowest margin of victory was the recent USA Rugby D1 Elite Playoffs postseason-opener against Central Washington, just escaping a late scare to earn a win over the Wildcats on November 19th.
Dominant wins over Penn State and the New York Rugby Club early in the season saw the Running Eagles stand out as an early season favorite.
The Running Eagles' opponent, Lindenwood, is no stranger to Life University or title games, besting the women's team twice this year.
Additionally, last season, the Lions hoisted the D1 Elite Trophy after a win over Life U. In the championship game. This year, the Wolfpack will look to defend the trophy entering Saturday's contest with an impressive record of 6-0, including two regular season wins over Life University.
The teams matched up twice in the regular season, with the two teams' last matchup in November being the closer of the two contests. In that most recent battle, the Running Eagles fought hard in the second half to challenge Lindenwood after the Lions jumped ahead to what seemed like an insurmountable first-half lead. In the second half, the Running Eagles outscored Lindenwood before ultimately falling just short in the loss.
Ahead of Saturday's championship appearance, Head Coach Ryszard Chadwick shared his thoughts.
"We are very much looking forward to the matchup this weekend," said Chadwick. "Lindenwood is going for their 5th National Championship in a row, so we are going into this match as underdogs. There is no pressure or expectation on us to win, so we are looking forward to just going out and playing some fun rugby. The group has worked hard up to this point, and we have improved in many areas. As a group, we are looking forward to implementing certain things but we know it will not be easy with such a strong opposition."
Kickoff in Charlotte is slated for 1 PM.
Fans can watch the match live by accessing the link below.
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