Women's Rugby Earns Hard-Fought Win over Lindenwood
Women's Rugby / 03.18.24
MARIETTA, Ga. ---- The Life University women's rugby team tabbed an impressive 24-19 victory at Lupo Family Field Saturday night over their long-standing rival Lindenwood University.
Emma Haughey got things going with a score in the 15th minute with Nina Mason adding the conversion to go ahead 7-0. Four minutes later, the Lions drove down the field and added their first try, missing the conversion but bringing the score closer, 7-5.
Then, directly after the kickoff, a huge disruption from recently nominated MA Sorensen candidate Matilda Kocaj saw a loose ball end up in Harlie Kallichuk's arms, picking up the second try of the day just moments after Lindenwood cut the lead. Another conversion by Mason extended the Running Eagles' lead to 14-5.
The Lions then broke through to score the final two tries of the half with less than 10 minutes to spare after a pair of missed tackles led to a score. Another score and conversion with less than a minute remaining then pushed the Lions ahead 19-14, heading into the break.
In the second half, the Running Eagles cleaned up their defense as they held the Lions scoreless for the entire second half. The two teams traded possessions without scores for much of the final 40. Pinning Lindenwood deep into their half for much of the opening 20 minutes, the Running Eagles did eventually break through the tough Lions' wall as Kocaj dove into the try zone to tie the contest at 19 apiece in the 60th minute. Still serving the kicking duties, Mason was again perfect on the conversion pushing the score ahead to 21-19.
The Running Eagles then scored their last points of the match in the final minute of play after a penalty conversion confirmed the lead and win, 24-19.
Head Coach Ryszard Chadwick shared his thoughts on the performance, stating, "In a tough physical match, I saw all players step up and take their performance to a new level. We worked relentlessly in defense and stuck to the plan. The atmosphere helped us get to another level but a great performance from all involved. There's still work to do, but it's a great win to celebrate for now."
Up next, the Running Eagles gear back up for another match this weekend as they travel to BYU for a contest on Saturday.
