HOUSTON, Texas - Davenport women's rugby went to the Lone Star State to compete in the NIRA DII Tournament for 7's. Today, May 6th was the first day of the two-day tournament where the women's team was placed in Pool A with Life, Army, and CRAA Selects.
The first game of the tournament was versus Life. Life is one of our toughest opponents each and every year, but it did not stop the girls from starting out strong and playing the game they love. Life scored first, but Ashley Cowdrey scored the first try for Davenport shortly thereafter. Conditions were damp and slippery, but they held on to their score and defensively stopped Life from scoring any more the rest of first half. Within the first minute of the second half was a prime opportunity for Grace Gohl to score a try. Second half was more of a fight for points and Life got two more tries under their belt, resulting in the first loss of the day.
Second game of the day was against Army in another pool play contest. Army came with a lot of pressure starting right at kickoff. The first try was scored by the opposing team, leaving Davenport struggling to take advantage and have a larger impact. With one yellow card, Davenport was rushing to catch up, with a combination from Cowdrey and Aubrey Crist leaving the score 12-7 in favor of Army. At the end of the first seven-minute half, Army was able to intercept a pass from Davenport's offensive line, resulting in them having a pretty hefty lead at half. Army's continuity and offensive strategy made it hard for Davenport to defend, leading to the final score being 38-7.
Game three was the highlight of the day for the women's team as they took on the CRAA Select Side team. The Panthers brought the heat in the first few minutes of the game with their first try right off the kickoff. Jasmine Hernandez Peralta was able to gain distance with her speed and ability to shift through defenders, allowing the score to be 12-0. Another yellow card was given to Davenport, making them one player short, allowing for CRAA to take a lead. Valencia Goldsmith was able to poach and score a try leveling out the score to 17-17. Jasmine was able to score one more try before the clock ticked out, which allowed for a score of 22–17 and their first win of the day.
Overall Scores for Day 1:
Game 1: Davenport v. Life University (12-17) Loss
Game 2: Davenport v. Army West Point (7-38) Loss
Game 3: Davenport v. CRAA Selects (22-17) Win
The Davenport Women's Rugby team will complete their 7's season with more pool play in Houston, Texas tomorrow on May 7th.
