In the second matchup of the season, WCU will travel to face Davenport University (DU) after falling to them in the 2022 National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) semifinals. Last season saw the Golden Rams fall 57–7 with the lone try being scored by junior Jordyn Melnick and the lone conversion scored by junior captain Sara McNicholas.
“We’re coming back for revenge,” Melnick said. “Can’t wait to run it back.”
McNicholas, the second highest scoring player last season, is currently out with an injury. The team will need to look to someone else as their kicker, like freshman Emma Davies.
“She actually has a pretty good boot on her,” junior Brooke Crago said. “I’m honestly not that worried as long as she’s in the game.”
The last game was a snowy one for the Golden Rams.
“I’m excited it’ll be warmer weather where we can hopefully be in a better mindset about it,” sophomore Bridget Kowalski said.
The Golden Rams have already faced the United States Naval Academy (USNA) on Sept. 9 in their season opener. During the game, the team worked on their chemistry and how to work with each other.
“We’re going to know how to work well with each other,” Crago said. The team will look to focus on their strengths in this game by “doing what we do well and doing that over and over again…[We are] not trying to take any risks or experiments.”
The DU matchup is the second of three away games to start the rugby season for the Golden Rams.
“I think we have a very strong team this year and I’m very excited to see us all play together and see how well we mesh,” junior Kirsten Gray said.
On Sept. 23, the Golden Rams will travel to Frostburg, MD to take on Frostburg State University (FSU) in the first match between the two teams.
They will then host the University of New Haven (UNH) in the home opener on Oct. 7 to kick off a three game home stand.
Ty Hickey is a third-year Media & Culture major with a minor in Chinese. CH983713@wcupa.edu