Women's rugby extended its First XV undefeated streak with a solid win against D1 Elite foe Central Washington 53-29 Saturday afternoon at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Missouri.  The Lions have not lost such a contest since falling to the Glendale WPL in September 2017.
 
The two teams entered the game as familiar opponents having played each other multiple times in the past two years.  The Wildcats took an early lead on a try, but Lindenwood answered when Natalie Gray broke free for a long run, eventually getting the ball in the hands of Tiyanna Hooker, who scored her first five points in her first game with the Lions.  Gray converted to give Lindenwood a 12-5 advantage.  Central Washington closed the gap with another unconverted try, but the Lions found some breathing room as Gray and Demi Allen dotted down in the first 40 minutes to push the lead to 24-10 at the break.
 
Three out of a large group of seniors were honored at halftime including Erika Larsen, Marisa Hall, and Alexandra Strasser, and then Lindenwood continued its strong offensive play, adding 29 points to the scoreboard in the second half while only giving up 19.  Hooker, Isabel Manu, Meg Gold, Daisy Manoa, and Brianna Vasquez found the try zone and Gray booted two more conversions as head coach Billy Nicholas was able to find playing time for all 23 on the roster.
 
The Lions notched a 24-point victory, but Nicholas had praise for his opponent.
 
"As always, the match against Central Washington is a tightly contested one, and we have a tone of respect for the Wildcat program, so we are always excited for the great competition," he said.  "A few things stuck out for me today as we had Daisy Manoa and Tiyanna Hooker get their first scores with our program today.  Freshman Demi Allen also played a great game in both attack and defense.  The team made some nice adjustments at halftime and settled in nicelyl.  It was good to see and hear their conversation and progress throughout the match, but we still have a lot of spring left, so we will continue to build upon our new platform."
 
The players voted Alia Ah Far as the Forward of the Match and Nohea Uluave as the Back of the Match. 
 
With victories over all three D1 Elite squads including Life, Central Washington, and Penn State this season, Lindenwood has a great chance to secure the No. 1 seed for the playoffs. 
 
Women's rugby travels to Carson, California for the LAI Tournament February 28.