A little rain never hurt anybody. Despite the dreary conditions, the rugby team had their home opener against Penn State on Sunday. The Bobcats were ready to battle as they defeated the Nittany Lions 61-7.
“It’s really exciting,” said Anna Van Dyk. “After the couple of ties we’ve had and then the win away it was really nice to win on home turf.”
It didn’t take long for Quinnipiac to get the action started. Around six minutes in, first-year center Anna Wright made her way into the try zone for her first collegiate career try. Wright was not the only first-year to impact today’s game; she was one of four first-years to contribute to the scoreboard on Sunday.
“They’re one of the most talented classes we’ve probably had in five years,” said head coach Becky Carlson. “They’re delivering on everything that they’re supposed to be.”
Even with the early scoring from the Bobcats, Penn State tried to hold Quinnipiac back for most of the first half. That was until Van Dyk broke through the barrier and pushed herself into the try zone to make it a two-score game.
With Van Dyk’s try, the floodgates were open for the Bobcats as just minutes later, Fódhla Ní Bhraonáin would run down the far sideline and make a diving slide into the try zone. Fia Whelan then made her first conversion of the game to make it a 17-0 game.
To finish off the first half, Van Dyk was back for more as she ran up through the middle of the try zone for her second try of the game. Whelan would make her final conversion of the game to make it 24-0 and complete the first-half shutout.
The Bobcats picked up where they left off to start the second half. Layla Cox used her speed to race down the field and into the try zone for back-to-back tries. Almost immediately after, Cox would go on a breakaway run and assist Kat Storey in her first of two tries to give the Bobcats a 42-0 lead.
With Cox and Storey earning two tries in Sunday’s game, they would each tie the team lead in scoring with five tries for the season.
“[Cox] is the speed on the edge,” said Carlson. “We’ve been working on her fending and the ball transfer quite a bit in practice, but not that she needed it, she’s obviously been doing it very well on her own.”
With the Bobcats scoring two more times after that, they would look to finish the game strong. With less than ten minutes left, Cassidy Dugdale would push her way into the try zone to earn her first try of the season. Penn State earned a try late in the game to keep themselves from getting shut out, but Quinnipiac would finish with the last try of the game as Regan Jackson dove right into the try zone for the first try of her collegiate career and to finish it 61-7 for the Bobcats.
“It was a collective effort,” said Carlson. “They say that if the system changes, the product is different, but what we’re saying is if the system changes and someone goes in and goes out, we should expect the same product. We played the entire bench and we still had a product that we’re comfortable with.”
Today was more than just a game for the rugby team. Before the start, the team took a moment of silence to honor Morgan Rogers and her lost battle with mental illness.
“This means everything to all of us,” said Carlson. “It’s about connection for us and connecting with what it really means in Morgan’s Message. You build that connection with Morgan’s Message with the players and the coaching staff off the field.”
Her family has since created Morgan’s Message, an organization to help spread awareness about Roger’s story and give support to those who are struggling. The team had bracelets, a trifold and pamphlets to honor the foundation.
“It means a lot to us, especially being student athletes and just knowing how hard it is to just come in, show up every day and try your best,” said Van Dyk. “With schoolwork and being a division one athlete, there’s a lot of pressure on you. It just means a lot to just take that moment and recognize her and respect her.”
With today’s win, the Bobcats will continue to remain undefeated and improve to 2-0-2.
Quinnipiac will return to action at home next Saturday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. against the Princeton Tigers.
