ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Davenport played against American International College for their first NIRA match of the 15's season on October 1st. The final score against the Yellow Jackets was 22-19 resulting in the first win of the NCAA NIRA II Conference and leaving the Lady Panthers 2-0. The Panthers knew this would be an even-skilled match, and AIC came out and proved that they had what it took to be competitive. They still couldn't stack enough points for the win however. The first half of the game the Panthers were focused on playing a strong defensive line while trying to exploit AIC's mistakes without making their own. Penalties were called on multiple occasions from both teams, but Davenport pulled through and was able to put some points on the board. Near the end of the first half, American International was put on their heels after having four try attempts being held up by Davenport. Tries being held up means that the ball is stopped from being placed correctly on ground, and results in not being able to score with a goal-line drop on the other team.

After halftime, the Panthers had 40 minutes to gain composure and maintain their leg-up on the pitch. It was a tiring game with a forward-heavy half featuring a lot of scrums and lineouts. This gave the back positions time to make some game adjustments, and really be able to move the ball effectively. The Panthers were able to remain calm and reduce penalties to play their game their way. The last 10 minutes of the game, AIC was able to score their last try of the game, but surpassed their conversion kick opportunity to preserve their time clock. A controversial move, but it could have potentially allowed them to score once more before the end of the game. Davenport knew it was time to really pull their efforts together and maintain possession of the ball until time ran out, to protect their 22-19 score and pull off the win, and they did just that. They protected the ball and went into AIC's defensive line with strength, but also protected their teammates and their possession of the ball. This was a tough game for the Panthers, but it was the game they needed to find their mistakes, so they can fix them in weeks to come.

Scoring Breakdown for Davenport v. AIC
Abbi Kowalczk - 2 tries (10 points)
Ashley Cowdrey - 1 try (5 points)
Jasmine Hernandez - 1 try (5 points)
Aubrey Crist - 1 conversion (2 points)

Next week the team takes on Notre Dame College (Ohio) on Saturday, October 8th on the DU Turf Field. Kickoff will be at 2:00 PM.

Story by: Taylor Badal