West Chester Rugby Captures Mason-Dixon Championship, 32-24

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. – West Chester University scored the final two trys of the match in the last 12 minutes to come from behind and defeat North Carolina, 32-24, in the Mason-Dixon Championship Game Sunday afternoon at James Madison University.
 
West Chester (10-3) earns its first Mason-Dixon Conference championship with the win. The Golden Rams have reached the Mason-Dixon championship game in each of the first two years the conference has been in existence. It is the rugby squad's fourth conference championship in school history. West Chester won the now-defunct Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union (EPRU) title three straight years (2007, 2008, 2009).
 
With the win, West Chester clinches a berth in the USA Rugby national tournament coming up later in April. Who the Golden Rams play, and where that game will be played, will be determined at a later date.
 
Erin Gallagher registered a pair of trys in the first half, each of which answered a try from North Carolina, to keep the Golden Rams in the contest. Nicole Benedetti then scored the first of her two trys in the game 13 minutes before halftime, which was converted by Sophia Schwab and drew West Chester within two heading into the break, 19-17.
 
Arielle Gantt opened up the second-half scoring in the 53rd minute, giving the Golden Rams their first lead of the match, 22-17. However, UNC answered with a converted try in the 65th minute to jump back in the lead at 24-22.
 
Three minutes later, Benedetti intercepted a pass and raced to the try line to give the lead back to West Chester at 27-24. Erin Brosius added another try with three minutes left in the match to push the Rams' lead to a game-high 32-24, and make it a two-score difference for the Tar Heels to come back.
 
West Chester is now 4-4 all-time in conference championship matches. The Golden Rams were 3-3 in six appearances in the EPRU finals and are now 1-1 in Mason-Dixon title matches.