Quinnipiac University
Eastern Illinois
QU Women's Rugby Defeats EIU on Saturday Afternoon, 64-8
10/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rugby
Hamden, Conn. – The Quinnipiac women's rugby team secured their third win of the season on Saturday afternoon, taking down Eastern Illinois, 64-8. The Bobcats improved to 3-2 on the season with an impressive offensive attack in the second half, scoring 52 unanswered points. Two-time All-American Natalie Kosko (Sabastian, Fla.) led the offense with five tries and one assist.
Senior Shannon Durkin (Oakland, Calif.) got things going for the Bobcats early in the first half with a run-over-twenty up the sideline, setting up the first Bobcat try of the contest. Raechel Stimson (Cameron Park, Calif.) made a great pass to find Elisa Cuellar (Palm Bay, Fla.) in a little bit of space for a short score up the middle.
Down by five with 33:05 remaining in the first frame, the EIU Panthers scored their first and only try of the game. For the next twenty minutes, play remained around the midfield as both offenses struggled to gain any ground. With 26:28 left in the half, Kosko received a pass from Cuellar and took it to the house with a 40 yard run up the sideline, blowing by two defenders. Graduate student Aine McKeever (Derry City, Ireland) added two points with a successful conversion.
Bobcats led 12-5 entering the break after three consecutive missed penalty kicks by the Panthers. The second half was all Quinnipiac as five different players scored tries. Kosko scored her second try of the game two minutes into the frame off a second assist from Cuellar. Four minutes later, freshman Rebecca Haight (Oconomowoc, Wisc.) recorded her first career try as a Bobcat. As Kosko was being brought down after a 15 yard run up field, she found Haight on her left side to make it 24-5.
A third QU try was scored in the first eight and a half minutes when senior Jennifer Salomon scored on a pass from Raechel Stimson. After another Kosko score, Durkin became the fourth Quinnipiac player to score a try in the second half. Megan Johnson was credited with the assist on the Durkin score to lead, 45-5.
With 19:45 remaining in the contest, Elena Orlando ran for the longest score of the game. From about 60 yards out, Orlando found a hole and sprinted by each Panther defender for the unassisted try. Two minutes later Orlando tallied her second assist, this time to Kosko, leading to a 50 yard run down the center of the field. McKeever converted her sixth consecutive kick to give her 12 points on the day. Kosko scored her fifth try with the last Bobcat score at the 28:07 mark.
Down 64-5, the Panthers converted on a penalty kick as time expired.
Kosko leads the team with 14 tries and five assists through five games in 2014. Orlando tallied a try and added two assists to her team leading nine on the year.
Up next, the Bobcats will travel to Washington for a matchup with Eastern Washington. Kickoff is set for Saturday, October 25 at 12 PM.
