Women's rugby defeated Life University 19-3 in the semifinals of the USA Rugby D1 Elite Playoffs Friday in Marietta, Georgia.  It was the second time this season that the Lady Lions topped the Running Eagles in 15's play and the victory advanced the team to the title match against Penn State on Saturday afternoon. 

Lindenwood was impressive defensively and solid offensively on the pitch and took a 5-0 lead just two minutes after the opening kickoff when AnnaKaren Pedraza set up Nika Paogofie-Buyten for a run over the try line.  The Lady Lions increased their advantage to 10-0 when Dana Olsen, who took the place of an injured Davon Thomas, dotted down in the eighth minute.  Life put points on the board in the 21^st minute with a penalty kick, but Lindenwood matched that with a boot from McKenzie Hawkins.  Both offenses were contained from that point, sending the match to the halftime break with the Lady Lions ahead 13-3.

Strong defense was the rule in the second half as well with most of the action taking place in the middle of the field.  Two more penalty kicks from Hawkins turned out to be the only scoring as Lindenwood kept the Running Eagles at bay in the final 40 minutes for a 19-3 win.

The Lady Lions now face Penn State for the national title after the Nittany Lions stopped Brigham Young University 40-7 in the other semifinal on Friday.  Penn State gave Lindenwood its only loss of the season on American soil back in October, but the Lady Lions have won every contest since then with the exception of a 32-29 setback on their Ireland tour in March.  The opening kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon in Marietta, Georgia with live streaming available on the Rugby Channel.