Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Quinnipiac University
Women's Rugby Sees Comeback Fall Short Against Quinnipiac
October 14, 2023 | Women's Rugby
WEST POINT, NY - Army West Point women's rugby (2-4, 2-4 NIRA) was defeated by a score of 22-17 to Quinnipiac (3-2, 3-1 NIRA) on Friday night from Anderson Rugby Complex.
Playing at home for the first time since Sept. 9, the Black Knights wasted no time in giving their home fans something to cheer about. Just 25 seconds in, team captain Olivia Popp read a Bobcats offload perfectly, intercepting the errant pass and touching down the first try of the game right between the goalposts. It marked the first try of the campaign for Popp. Alissa Eisenhart made good on the conversion, giving Army a very early 7-0 advantage.
Quinnipiac found an answer less than five minutes in, securing a try which moved the score to 7-5. 10 minutes later, the Bobcats knocked in a penalty kick to grab their first lead of the contest at 8-7. Quinnipiac kept the pressure on Army, capping an eventual 15-0 run with a try and conversion in the 25th minute which brought the scoreline to 15-7.
Army would not go quietly, with Sophia Linder using a bruising run from 30 meters out to dive just over the tryline to get Army firmly back into the game. The conversion was once again no problem for Eisenhart, and the teams went into halftime locked into a tight one, as the Bobcats led 15-14.
Both sides dug in defensively to begin the second half, with the opening twenty minutes seeing no movement on the scoreboard. With 19 minutes to play, Quinnipiac found its breakthrough after getting possession deep into Army's end. The Bobcats touched down their third try of the ballgame, also knocking in a pivotal conversion which made the score 22-14.
Needing two scores to complete a comeback, Eisenhart got one of them for Army, knocking in her fifth penalty kick of the season to bring it to a five-point game. The Black Knights kept the pressure on, but were unable to find a third try in the final ten minutes, as Quinnipiac came away with an eventual 22-17 victory.
Players Mentioned
