HOUSTON, Texas – The Sacred Heart University women's rugby team took home some hardware from the CRAA Women's Collegiate 7's Championship Tournament. The Pioneers went 3-2 overall, taking home the Plate trophy after defeating Life University 17-14 in the final match of the weekend.
"The CRAA College Women's 7s Championship tournament was exciting, fun, and successful," said Head Coach Michelle Reed. "It's a great accomplishment for us to walk away with the Plate Championship."
"I enjoyed watching our team collaborate to put on a stellar performance, especially against Harvard and Life. Those two teams are consistently top in the country and always strong competition. The challenge showed that the continued cultivation of our team values, rugby IQ, and skills are paying off."
Stat Leaders:
Alyssa Cunningham:7 Tries, 3-8 Conversions, 41 Points
Josie O'Donnell: 4 Tries, 20 Points
Reese Torticill: 1 Try, 4-4 Conversions, 13 Points
Caitlyn Caldon: 2 Tries, 10 Points
Reece Woods: 1 Try, 1-5 Conversions, 7 Points
Fabiola Millien-Faustin: 1 Try, 5 Points
Makena Wright: 1 Try, 5 Points
Of note:
Sacred Heart opened the tournament with a 31-7 victory over Penn State. The Pioneers jumped out to an explosive 17-7 lead thanks to a pair of tries from Alyssa Cunningham, a try from Caitlyn Caldon, and a good conversion for Reece Woods. Makena Wright and Fabiola Millien-Faustin added a try each in the second half, and Reese Torticill made two conversions as the Pioneers brought in their first win of the weekend.
Sacred Heart battled a tough match with Harvard in the second game of the day on Saturday but fell 24-17. Cunningham and Woods each scored a try in the first half as the Pios took a 10-5 advantage at the break. Cunningham added one more, and Torticil made a good conversion, but the Crimson came from behind and took the 24-17 victory.
The Pioneers wrapped up the first day of competition with a 29-12 loss to Lindenwood. Caldon had the lone try of the opening frame, but Lindenwood came out hot, taking a 19-5 lead at halftime. Torticill added seven points for the Pios in the second half, but it was not enough as Lindenwood pulled away with the 29-12 victory.
Heading into the second day of competition, the Pioneers took on LIU to start the day. Sacred Heart defeated LIU 24-7. O'Donnell and Cunningham had a pair of tries each, along with a pair of good conversions for Cunningham to give the Pioneers a 24-0 lead at the half. LIU got on the board in the second half, but Sacred Heart took the 24-7 victory.
The Pioneers finished with a 2-2 record before the playoff round. Sacred Heart drew Life University for the Plate Championship.
Trailing 14-10 at the half, Sacred Heart used a strong second half, shutting out Life, to come from behind and take the victory and claim the Plate. O'Donnell scored in the second half, and Cunningham had a good conversion to secure the Pioneers victory.
"As much as the weekend was exciting, there is a little sadness as Jailin Jackson, Sandra Lezcano, and Samantha McGann all played their last matches as a Pioneer. We will miss them and Emily Egan, Lauren Fallon, and Emily Slocombe, who are all graduating this year. I am grateful for their dedication and hard work over the years to help create a program that I hope they are proud of as much as I am," added Reed.
