Emotions were high today at Quinnipiac’s Rugby field, with Breast Cancer Awareness being the theme of today’s game.
Before the action started, senior hooker Amelia Rizzi and her mother were honored before the game, with Rizzi’s mother being a recent survivor of breast cancer.
“I feel really grateful to have her here,” Rizzi said in response to having her mom attend the game. “You know, thankful she survived; she is a survivor, and I feel super blessed.”
Heading into the game today, Quinnipiac was 2-2 on the season and was coming off being shut out 64-0 against Lindenwood before the bye.
“It’s been pretty rocky,” Head Coach Becky Carlson said. “We are gonna be looking for some consistency from here on out, moving to the end of the season.”
The Bobcats struck early and never slowed down. Sophomore wing McKenzie Kroeger opened the scoring in dominating fashion just one minute into the match, with sophomore center Alexa Kirschner converting for a 7-0 lead.
Sophomore wing Layla Cox added a try at 7:30, followed by junior prop Gabrielle Appiah at 12:50 to push the score to 17-0.
The Bobcats controlled possession and tempo throughout the first half, mainly due to adjustments made on defense during the bye.
“We did a lot of risky things in the middle of the season simply to get a cohesive defensive fold,” Carlson said. “That’s all that we have been working on, so you can expect our pods to look a little different.
Carlson displayed changes through pods by moving Cox more inside today to accommodate the strengths of all her players, such as freshman center Rebecca Balladares, and her tenacity as a hard tackler and runner, giving her more one-on-one opportunities.
In contrast, sophomore center Anna Wright and Cox can handle themselves on both sides of the ball.
Though moves seemed to do the trick in shutting down La Stelle the entire game, as Quinnipiac piled on four more tries before halftime.
Sophomore wing Regan Jackson scored at 23:10, Wright crossed at 26:30, and Appiah added her second try of the game at 29:05.
Balladares capped off the first with a try at the horn, and Kirschner converted three of those scores to give Quinnipiac a 43-0 lead at halftime.
The second half featured more of the same dominance. Freshman fullback Ava deCooper Wride scored at 41:00, and Jackson added her second try at 53:10 to seal the 53-0 forfeit.
Quinnipiac finished with nine tries overall, led by Jackson and Appiah with two each. Cox is now up to five tries in five games this season, while her teammates Jackson and Appiach each have four.
The win marked the first-ever meeting between the programs and improved Quinnipiac to 8-4 at home over the last three seasons.
The Bobcats will travel to Annapolis to play Navy next Saturday, Oct. 11, at 11 a.m., before returning home on Oct. 18 to face Sacred Heart on Senior Day.
