WAYNE, Nebraska — After SNU's conference opponent University of Texas San Antonio Women's Rugby forfeited their upcoming match scheduled for Saturday, October 7th, Southern Nazarene was able to land a replacement match with Wayne State College on Friday, October 6th. The Storm ended up dominating the Wildcats by a score of 61-7.
WSC Women's Rugby has been a perennial powerhouse in the small college (about 4000 enrollment) ranks for more than a decade. The program has earned 13 small college national titles, and made an appearance in the DII National Final-Four in their debut as a DII program a year ago. WSC has moved back to the Small College Division and is currently ranked #8.
By late Wednesday afternoon, logistics had arranged, and the stage was set for SNU to travel the eight hours directly North to Wayne, NE for a rare Friday night matchup.
SNU rolled into Wayne about 4 p.m. on Friday with a kickoff time set for 5:30 p.m. Putting the northeastern Nebraska cold and wind behind them, SNU Women's Rugby managed a 61-7 victory over a traditionally strong WSC program, who have found themselves in a bit of a rebuilding year under the newly hired Head Coach Bryn Chivers.
SNU's experience, strength, and speed proved to be the theme of the night.
The SNU and Wayne State Forwards matched up similarly which led to a physical start of the match, but SNU managed to pull on their experience in the scrum to totally dominate the set pieces for the majority of the match. Senior Prop and Captain Ashleigh Brooks stood out in every phase of the game. She played physical defense, carried the ball strong, and held her team together the few times they were backed up in their own territory.
The speed of the SNU backs was unmatched by Wayne State. Five different backs managed to find the Try Zone. Trina Rizzotto had a standout performance at the fly-half position this week after moving from her typical position as full-back to cover for an injured Finau Fakahua. The Inside/Outside Center combination of Ella Gilliland and Telesi Uhatafe has proven to be quite dynamic and difficult for opponents to handle.. The duo combined for 34 of SNU's points as well as the majority of meters gained.
Uhatafe used her speed and kicking ability to advance the ball while Gilliland used her strength and distribution skills to split the defense over and over. Bayli Gilliland demonstrated a strong support effort to put herself in scoring position twice taking offloads from the centers for a score. Ariella Smith used her speed and debut at the fullback position to add a try. Newcomer Jaylyn Isaacs continues to impress on the wing, scoring her second try of her career.
"There is so much about this week that makes me proud of these ladies. A home-match cancelled has an emotional toll on a team. Then 24 hours later we find a new opponent and find out we're traveling to our longest away match of the year and doing it in a short turnaround time without getting the typical prep and rest that a trip like that requires. To step out of the bus, take the field after a trip like that and in difficult weather conditions, and go on and perform the way they did, tells you a lot about where our program is and where we're heading! And I don't mind saying, that's the right direction."- Aric Gilliland, Head Coach.
Telesi Uhatafe led the Storm offensive front with four tries. Ellas Gilliland and Nayli Gilliland each recorded a pair of tries and
Ashleigh Brooks, Ariella Smith, and Jaylyn Isaacs each recorded a try.
Ella Gilliland also tallied two conversions and Maya Hartnett recorded one.
Up Next
Southern Nazarene will take the pitch again at home on October 21st against the undefeated Louisiana State University, another conference opponent. This matchup will likely determine the Lonestar Women's XVs Conference Champion. Game time is scheduled for 12 p.m.
