Lindenwood University (W)

The women's rugby "Black" squad won the Wayne State 7's Nebraska Invitational March 28-29, 2015 in Wayne, Neb.  The Lady Lions posted a 4-0 record and shutout all of their opponents for the weekend, topping Arkansas State and Simpson with 50-0 scores, defeating Iowa State 35-0, and stopping the ASU Indians once again in the finals 40-0. 

Demonstrating balance and unselfish play, every Lindenwood player scored at least once and Joyce Taufa earned "Most Valuable Player" status from the team for her physical presence on the pitch, and by winning several restarts and dominating the breakdown. 

The Lady Lions played two teams in the tournament.  The Lindenwood "Gold" squad emerged as Bracket Two Champions, also posting a 4-0 record, giving up only one score in the process.  The Gold squad defeated Simpson 20-0, Wayne State 15-0, North Dakota State 25-5, and then stopped Wayne State again 55-0.

Morgan Crowell dominated the middle of the pitch while Courtney King demonstrated her speed on the outside as the Lady Lions were strong on the attack and knew when to swing it wide to exploit the space that the defense was giving away.

Head coach Billy Nicholas was happy with the performance of the teams in 7's competition.

"It was our first 7's play of the season for us, so it was great to come out and play some new teams and gain some great experience," he said.  "We still have some things to improve, so we'll be focused on getting better the next few weeks.  I'm still proud of the girls this weekend.  It was an excellent team effort from both squads and it's always nice to walk away as tournament champions."