(source) The women’s rugby second XV squad stopped the Little Rock (Ark.) Stormers RFC 27-7 Saturday night at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Missouri.
In the first ever meeting between the two teams, the Lions jumped in front at the 13 minute mark of the first half when Kendal McCracken dotted down, giving Lindenwood a 5-0 advantage. The Stormers answered moments later and with a successful conversion, took a 7-5 lead. The Lions battled their way back in front with a Taylor Bohlender dive into the try zone and just before halftime, Reina Anderson sprinted through the defense for a 50 meter run to give Lindenwood a 17-7 advantage at the break.
Despite the solid play, head coach Billy Nicholas saw a learning opportunity.
“We made some adjustments going into the second half,” he said. “The players are in the early stages of the season, so they are really absorbing a lot, especially many coming from high school into the pace of the collegiate game.”
The changes paid off, especially on the defensive side of the ball, as the Lions held Little Rock scoreless, while continuing to put points on the board. Imogen Davies showed great speed on the outside for a try and Avery MacGillivray took a great set up from McCracken for another score to solidify the victory.
Nicholas was happy with the outcome.
“We came out and did exactly what we wanted to do the last two weeks as a team,” he said. “It’s a long journey ahead, but getting another victory on our home turf is always important to us.”
Lindenwood extended its unbeaten streak at home under Nicholas, having not lost a 15’s or 7’s match since 2014.
Women’s rugby begins the conference season next weekend with back-to-back road games September 23-24. The Lions will face Oklahoma at 7 p.m. on Saturday and New Mexico at 3 p.m. on Sunday with both games taking place in Norman, Oklahoma