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Richards Relieved in Life Win

  • 29 Mar 2021
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There was much to play for when Central Washington University (CWU) and Life University met in the final regular-season match of the DI Elite season. The victor would host the teams’ semifinal on April 17, and the added incentive to win translated into a heated, gutsy battle that will no doubt play out in the rematch.

RELATED: Lions, Wildcats End Regular Season With Wins

“We still talk about being grateful to play, but there was more at stake with this game,” CWU head coach Trevor Richards said of playoff implications. “Playing at Life is tough in general, and on top of that, we knew we were the two most evenly matched teams playing this spring.”

Before the Wildcats traveled to Marietta, Ga., the team had to regroup from its 69-12 loss to Lindenwood University on March 20.

“The loss to Lindenwood was pretty brutal,” Richards said. “They’re a premier side and exceptionally good, but we felt we underplayed for sure. We got away from our systems on attack and defense, but the biggest thing was the mental lapse. I would have been more O.K. losing but how we lost wasn’t O.K. as a whole. So we challenged them last week to come in stronger and more focused at training, and it was great to see them do that. In the lead-up [to Life] we talked about how well they responded and it showed in the warm-ups. It was crisp.

“With that said, it was a pretty scrappy game,” the coach continued. “You’re going to get that with two very competitive sides. We talked about how there might be some instances where it might get chippy but you can’t play into that. The fact that we addressed that and that it might happen, that helped. We wanted to stay focused on the biggest picture of what we were there to do and what was at stake. The intensity was higher than the chippy-ness, if you will.”

Spectators have been able to attend Life games, and CWU had a decently sized fan base taking advantage of the opportunity to cheer on the Wildcats in person. The Running Eagles have a robust support system, and the Wildcats knew it had to get ahead early.

“We historically don’t start that strong, and that’s even from before my time,” Richard said. “We’re more a second-half team – we’re trying to get away from that – but we knew we had to get on the board quickly and get momentum going. Scoring first was a massive boost.”

The Wildcats spent most of the opening 10 minutes on attack, and while Life defended courageously, the visitors were eventually rewarded for the territorial advantage. Freshman flanker Kayla Guyton took the set-up pass from senior prop Haley Abeyta and dotted down for the opening try, 5-0.

Life answered, as sophomore flanker Kate Buzby tore away for 80 or so meters and then offloaded to senior wing Malery Billingy for the corner try. Regrettably, Buzby left the field after the crucial contribution and Billingy, too, left with an injury after a try-saving tackle in the second half.

The 5-5 scoreline held through the first half. When the Wildcats regrouped during the break, coach Richards used the opportunity to reiterate the game plan and how it’s executed. He noted that the team was aware that it had strayed in focus but was ready to reset in the second half.

“We spent a shocking amount of time in the second half on attack,” Richards said. “Even though we didn’t score, we controlled the ball and I was happy with that. And we matched intensity on both sides of the ball.”

There were many changes of possession, but play essentially stayed in Life’s end for the first 30 minutes of the second half. At the 70-minute mark, Abeyta crossed for CWU’s second try, but the conversion failed, making a Life win still possible. The Wildcats held on, however, and banked a 10-5 win.

“Across the board there was a sense of relief and accomplishment,” Richards said of final-whistle reactions. “And finishing the season 4-1 was also a relief. The amount of work and focus – for everyone, Covid-19 has thrown curve balls to everyone – the players just had to endure the last few months and to have it culminate in an epic battle with a very good team, there is a great sense of relief.

“And I have to talk about the other side of that,” the coach shifted. “Academically, the team finished the quarter with its highest GPA ever [3.68]. It’s a holistic accomplishment, not just on the field. We’re working hard to show how those things are intertwined, because part of high performance is classroom work that translates onto the field.”

The team has Monday off to recover and also focus on the first day of spring-quarter classes. The group will reassemble Tuesday to evaluate film.

“Defensively we had a few lapses but the scramble defense was great and contained their speed for the most part,” Richards reflected. “On attack, my only real – I don’t want to say, ‘criticism’ – but we need to focus on seeing space, and the way we access it has to be more dynamic. We were operating with what was right in front of us.

“Overall, our pack was the difference-maker,” the coach continued. “We had some insane performances. [Prop] Kaie Mae Sagapolu was pretty phenomenal. We challenged her, ‘This needs to be an epic game for you.’ She was a handful – strong tackling, hard carries. Same with Tessa Hann, again. She has blown the doors off, making tackles all over the place. And she’s a freshman and still figuring out 15s. Those two were very impressive.”

Richards also called out the return of Tiara A’au, who also helped set a physical tone on both sides of the ball, as well as Aly Namosimalua for bringing that aggression to the backline.

There are three weeks before the semifinals, and CWU will spend that time getting everyone healthy and mentally prepared for a Life rematch at home on April 17.

“Life is still an exceptional program and they’ll bring it to the semifinal,” Richards said. “We’re looking forward to the next contest, and we’ll be prepared.”

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