Quinnipiac’s women’s rugby team secured their fifth victory of the season against the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers in dramatic fashion on Saturday afternoon. Quinnipiac completed nine successful tries en route to an emphatic 62-10 victory. The match marked the final regular season contest for both organizations.

Sophomore Flanker Riva van der Valk propelled the Bobcats’ hot streak early in the first half and scored the first try of the match within the game’s first minute. By the time the first-half buzzer had sounded, Quinnipiac had sustained a decisive 47-0 lead over their opposition.

The Saturday match marks the fourth consecutive victory enjoyed by this Quinnipiac roster. 

After they kicked off the year on an underwhelming 1-4 start, the sudden turnaround drastically altered the spirits of the team as the postseason quickly approaches.

“Kind of just ramping up back into it and having them fight back [into the season], it’s just really characteristic of this particular group of personalities,” Bobcats coach Becky Carlson said after the game. “They kind of thrive on that.”

The afternoon matchup was an emotional one for the Bobcats’ eight seniors, who had to say goodbye to the home field that they spent years representing. 

Prior to the start of the game, the families of the graduating seniors were called up onto the field to accompany their athletes. Family members traveled from the likes of Los Angeles, Illinois, and as far as the United Kingdom to watch their loved ones play in the final home game of their collegiate careers. 

“It’s not just for us today,” said senior forward Libby Moser. “It’s for our whole families that support us for the past however many years we’ve played rugby.”

The moment the final buzzer sounded, Quinnipiac’s graduating class was swarmed by a diverse array of flags, posters and flowers from their loved ones. 

Contrastly, the loss extended the 1-6 Mountaineer’s losing streak to two consecutive games. The organization failed to secure a single victory in all four of their away games this season. 

Quinnipiac will kick off the postseason facing off against the undefeated Dartmouth Big Green on Saturday, Nov. 12. Dartmouth handed the Bobcats their worst loss of the year during their Sep. 24 regular season matchup, during which Quinnipiac fell to the MAAC powerhouse by 31 points in a match that would mark their final loss of the season.

“When you play teams that are at the top, that are wanting to put fifty points up on the board against you, you have to bring a different mentality,” Carlson said in anticipation of the Bobcat’s upcoming matchup.