CINCINNATI, Ohio - Davenport took the field for a match for the first time in almost a month on a cold, frigid day in southern Ohio. It was the elements that got the best of the Panthers in the beginning, who started off slow against a constantly improving Cincinnati team on their home pitch.

The score stayed 0-0 for nearly 10 minutes, before Madison Sparks was able to cross the try line for the first time of the match. Danielle Ordway, Olivia Ortiz and Kaitlin Throgmorton all were able to score, and half of the conversions were made. The cold as well as soft field conditions continued to take a toll on both sides, as play was very sloppy across the board. Cincinnati was able to put points and a conversion on the board right before the half, which is a feat that not many teams have achieved against the Panthers.

Although conditions stayed the same in the second half, the Panthers turned up the intensity and owned the pitch. Freshman Tressa Keim didn't score, but made several plays on 50/50 balls that either retained possession or caused a turnover from the Bearcats. Keim was a spark plug of sorts, helping the Panthers retain possession and end up scoring 35 unanswered points, with trys from Sparks and All-American Ordway. Ordway, a captain, ended the match with a game high five trys while the other captain Hannah Tennant didn't miss a conversion in the second half.

The Panthers trusted their system and as assistant coach Brittany O'Dell pointed out, played within their structure to win the second half. "The leaders of the team were being selfless and staying within the structure, but structure is only guidelines. We still are working intently on getting these young ladies to think more on their feet and react faster to opportunities all game long." She continued by reiterating how important it is to play a full game, and not just rely on a second half effort, especially against some of the better teams in the Division II playoff race. "This next match will be a rough one if we play the way we did in the first half of the [Cincinnati] game."
 
Davenport squares off against Illinois State University tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Cincinnati for a chance to punch their ticket to the Final Four in Greenville, South Carolina. The Panthers have played ISU before, in the first round of the 2014 Division II Playoffs, where they routed the pink and blue, 111-0. They are looking for a similar result today, with slightly better conditions.
 
Stay tuned to the Davenport Women's Rugby social media pages for photos, videos and live tweets at @DU_WRugby.

story by Cassie Clark