West Chester Rugby in EPRU Finals

from The Quad:

The win was West Chester’s first against Shippensburg in the past two seasons, as they had dropped the previous two contests.

“Today came down to us proving ourselves,” senior Sasha Stauffer said.

The team lost to both Delaware and Shippensburg in the regular season, and both were close games within one score. The game against Delaware was lost by one point.

West Chester definitely proved Saturday that they are gamers. They win when it counts the most, and that is just what they did against Ship.

“We stayed positive and did everything to keep our title,” Staffer added. “Today we played 15 as one.”

By that, she means they played as a team. One of the hardest parts of the game of rugby is bringing everybody together as one unit. There are 15 players on the field at once, which can be disorganized and confusing at times. In the second half of Saturday’s game, the Lady Rams were able to unite and control the field, proving they are worthy of yet another trip to Nationals.

“Our determination till the last play won us the game,” Stauffer said. The EPRU championship game will be Stauffer’s last collegiate game, as she is graduating in December.

With the win, West Chester faced Delaware Sunday for the championship. West Chester lost to the Blue Hens earlier in the season, by a score of 6-5. The six points came off of two penalty kicks.

“Anything can happen,” Rada said. “You just have to keep fighting for what you want.”

The championship game against Delaware was not finished in time for this issue of The Quad.