The last time Lindenwood was on the pitch, the Lady Lions were healing from a Round of 8 national playoff against Penn State, the eventual DI fall champion. Since then, head coach Billy Nicholas, who is halfway through his first year with the program, has been able to actualize his recruitment plan, and the Lady Lions were eager to get back on the pitch to reinforce their collective intentions.

“We’re looking forward to climbing the college ranks over the next few years and winning some championships,” Nicholas enthused.

Nicholas was particularly excited yesterday because his squad had just defeated Davenport 15-6. Although the Panthers are a DII team, they’re a very good DII team that had owned the victories to the teams' previous two meetings.

“The team really came together tonight, and I was very proud of the way they played,” Nicholas reported. “We had some team goals - playing until the final whistle and not letting up, playing as a team - and the girls achieved both of those goals tonight.

Lindenwood’s new players meshed well into the existing lineup and immediately impacted the game. After Davenport established an early lead from a penalty kick, Lindenwood flanker and Junior All American Gio Cruz dotted down for the 5-3 lead.

Davenport clawed ahead once again, slotting its second penalty (6-5), but those three points proved the last for the Panthers.

Two more tries came out of Lindenwood rookie Joycelynn Taufa of Laie, Hawaii, and junior flanker Tianna Camous for the 15-6 win.

“Davenport always play strongly, and have a dynamic set of backs and very physical set of forwards,” Nicholas commended. “We were happy to come away with a big win for the program and momentum for the team moving forward. [The win is] a testament to their hard work and the direction the program is going.”

Lindenwood transitions to 7s this weekend, heading to the Wayne, Neb., tournament, while Davenport plays one more 15s match against DI Michigan on April 3 before starting its 7s series on April 11 at Notre Dame College, Ohio.