West Chester Drops Bronze Match To AIC, 37-31

Box Score

PALO ALTO, Calif. – West Chester University dropped a hard-fought bronze match to American International College, 37-31, at the USA Rugby Women's Division I Tournament at Steubig Stadium Sunday morning.
 
West Chester (12-5) finished fourth in the nation, after reaching the national semifinals for the first time in school history.
 
The Golden Rams started out strong against the Yellow Jackets. Arielle Gantt and Sophia Schwab each posted converted trys before the break. Schwab ran back a kick 60 meters, breaking three tackles along the way for her score, and West Chester carried a 14-10 advantage into halftime.
 
AIC opened up the second half with three unanswered trys that shifted the momentum in their favor. As a result, the Yellow Jackets jumped out in front, 27-14, with 20 minutes remaining and never looked back. Following a try from West Chester, AIC tacked on 10 more points to open a 37-19 advantage.
 
The Golden Rams rallied with a pair of trys, one from Gantt and one from Samantha Tretter, that pulled the Rams within striking distance at 37-31. However, their next drive was halted by a penalty that knocked them out of scoring range, and WCU's final drive was thwarted when the Rams lost possession 35 meters away.
 
"We really took a lot out of this experience," WCU head coach Tony DeRemer said. "We seemed a bit nervous, and we made some uncharacteristic mistakes when we were pressured by the opponents. But, playing this weekend in national level matches has given us some valuable experience as to what it's like to play competitively at the elite level.
"I'm very proud of the heart the team showed all weekend. We fought until the end in both matches, and the girls can hold their heads high for finishing in the top four in the country."