The Lady Lions advanced to the title match at the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby 7's Championship, but fell to Penn State 24-7 Sunday afternoon at PPL Park in Chester, Pa., outside of Philadelphia. 

The two teams had faced each other several times earlier in the season, with the Nittany Lions winning each contest, but Lindenwood had stayed close, so the Lady Lions entered the match with some confidence even though PSU was aiming for a second national title in two weekends after claiming the USA Rugby 7's Championship on May 24. 

The game was tight in the beginning as the two squads battled for field position.  Breakaways from Amanda Divich and Kendal McCracken were stopped by the Nittany Lions, but the Lindenwood defense was also equal to the task until ball handling became an issue.  The Lady Lions dropped two balls deep in their zone, leading to easy scores.  Penn State took a 12-0 lead to halftime.

Early in the second half, Lindenwood broke through with a try and conversion to cut the advantage to five points, but that was as close as the score was the rest of the game.  The Nittany Lions dotted down twice in the final minutes, the last coming after a Lady Lions mistake on a lineout. 
Lindenwood advanced to the championship with a 24-17 victory over Notre Dame College in the Cup semifinals.  The Lady Lions were down at the break, but executed a solid game plan to rally in the second half.

Lindenwood earned the number two seed after pool play on Friday.  The Lady Lions were impressive in posting a 3-0 record, outscoring their opponents 82-5.  They started competition in Pool C against Delaware with a 39-0 shutout.  All 12 players spent time on the pitch as Lindenwood drained possession and outran the Blue Hens.  It was a carbon copy performance in game two against Boston University in a 29-0 victory.  The third match of the day against American International College proved to be much tougher.  The Yellow Jackets came into the event with a reputation for tough and physical play, a style that helped AIC win a 7's event in Atlanta earlier in the spring.  The Lady Lions gave up a score and were behind at the half, but stout defense and a relentless attack turned the tide and Lindenwood finished with a 14-5 win.

Head coach Billy Nicholas reflected on the weekend.

"It was an excellent run for us.  We have been preaching progress and we succeeded, going from seventh last weekend to second this weekend," he said.  "Things didn't go our way in the finals because we still have a young squad that showed some nerves, but they still came together well.  These young ladies started the season as a bottom ranked Division II team in August and are now one of the top ranked Division I teams in the country.  I've very proud of the heart they showed, and the culture and foundation that has been established!"

The Lady Lions finished the season with an 18-7 record in 7's competition.