BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It was a pretty warm day in Southern Indiana, weather that the Panthers haven't seen on game day for quite some time. With temperatures well into the 70's, the Panthers started off very strong with good clean balls and quickness to the breakdown. In their first matchup this year, it was noted that in Indiana's losing effort they were quick to the breakdown and were strong in rucks, so the Panthers knew they had to be on their game.
They faced a much improved team in Indiana, who made them work for every single point that was put on the board. The Panthers struck first after a few minutes of tough play by both sides. The forwards were able to get a turnover from the ruck and the backline did the rest, spinning the ball out wide, with everyone getting their hands on the ball, to set up
Madison Sparks. Both sides continued to be quite physical, and just seven short minutes later a penalty put the Panthers within scoring position again.
Hannah Tennant stepped up, nailed the kick and added three more points to the board. They continued to play strong defense, take care of the ball and play within their system well into the second half.
Danielle Ordway made her presence felt in the match, by scoring the next two trys, one from each side of the pitch.
Davenport cruised out to a 22-0 lead with all of the momentum in their favor, when the heat started to take its toll. The Panthers conceded multiple penalties which the Redstorm used to its advantage, pushing up the field. They scored two trys back-to-back to end the first half, completely shifting the momentum into their own hands. A short break coupled with lots of water and Gatorade helped get the girls back on track as they started the second half strong.
Makala Ferguson asserted her dominance, as a flanker turned center, by barreling through multiple defenders all across the pitch. Ferguson smashed to within 30 meters and offloaded the ball to a supporting
Ashlee Byrge, who turned on the afterburners to score her first of the match. This was a key aspect of Byrge's game versus the Redstorm, as she scored her second try less than five minutes later off of a support run from
Hunter Moreland.
The Panthers were off and running again, firing on all cylinders. But Indiana never backed down, providing a challenge from start to finish. The two teams traded possessions back and forth, with a lot of physical play from both squads' forward pack. Moreland was able to capitalize off of the strong forward play, ripping a 50-meter run right up the gut to score her first try of the match.
The Panthers were up 47-14 and were feeling good, but Indiana wasn't finished off just yet. Indiana forced their way down the field, causing Davenport to be penalized multiple times and eventually scored from a five-meter penalty play. With just 10 minutes left, Indiana was still pushing, but Davenport's defense stiffened up, got to the breakdowns and eventually got possession back. Both teams remained physical, but the Davenport backline eventually wore on Indiana to close the game out on a try from Sparks, who was set up off of a nice side step pass from Byrge. Tennant was 5/6 (83%) with conversions on the day in addition to connecting on a penalty kick early in the match.
Davenport switch gears this week and looks forward to playing 7's in Columbus, Ohio versus Division I opponents Ohio State University, Kent State and Notre Dame College. This tournament is a National Qualifier and will host other teams such as Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech as well.
