QU Rugby Falls 31-22 at Central Washington in NIRA Championship Rematch

Saturday, October 7

Ellensburg, Wash. / Wildcat Rugby Pitch

11:00 AM

Quinnipiac University

Central Washington

QU Rugby Falls 31-22 at Central Washington in NIRA Championship Rematch

10/7/2017 3:47:00 PM | Women's Rugby

By: QU Athletic Communications

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - The Quinnipiac women's rugby team fell into an early 10-0 hole and could not claw all the way back out as it dropped a 31-22 road decision at Central Washington in a rematch of last season's NIRA national championship, which the Bobcats won 46-24

Score
Central Washington 31 / Quinnipiac 22

Location

Wildcat Rugby Pitch | Ellensburg, Wash.

Records

Central Washington (2-2, 1-0 NIRA) / Quinnipiac (4-2, 3-2 NIRA)

Notes

Quinnipiac came into the match ranked No. 2 in the nation in the first NIRA coaches poll (behind Dartmouth), while Central Washington was ranked No. 3.
The Bobcats' 46-24 national championship win last season over Central Washington was their only win in the series. Central Washington improved to 4-0 all-time against Quinnipiac in the regular season, including a 19-12 win in Ellensburg last year.
Central Washington took a 10-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the match. The Bobcats made it a one-possession game three times, at 10-5, 17-12 and 24-17, but were unable to tie it.
Quinnipiac's first try came on a run of nearly the full 100-yard length of the field from senior Flora Poole (Christchurch, New Zealand), who broke free up the left side and cut all the way back across the field to the right sideline before scoring.
The Wildcats broke two long runs up the middle in the second half, and added conversions, to restore a two-possession lead both times, the first making it 24-12 and the second extending their lead to 31-17 with under five minutes left.
A try from junior Emily Roskopf (Dublin, Calif.) up the right sideline with just under 10 minutes left cut the Central Washington lead to 24-17 and put the Bobcats within a single possession, but the Wildcats were able to go ahead 31-17 with a long run off a scrum with less than three minutes to play.
Quinnipiac had a try with just under one minute remaining in regulation to close to within 31-22 and got the ball down to the cusp of the Central Washington try line with the clock at zero with a chance to make it even closer, but couldn't quite cross.
The loss was only the fifth for Quinnipiac in the last three years, during which span they are 26-5. Three of the losses have come to Central Washington (plus one to Army West Point in 2015 and one to Dartmouth earlier this year).
The teams will meet again in Hamden in two weeks for a 1 p.m. match at Quinnipiac Rugby Field.