Washington State will take the second North seed to the Pacific Mountain Conference championship (March 28-29), and Saturday’s game against Central Washington proved that the Cougars deserve it. Even though the Wildcats prevailed 31-19, WSU rounded out its regular season with a playoff-worthy performance.

“Washington State has definitely improved since our past two encounters,” Central Washington coach Mel Denham recalled the previous blowouts. “They were playing off the ball well and at pace with [flyhalf] Anne Peterson leading the charge. They were as determined as I have ever seen them, relentlessly pressuring our defense and capitalizing on every opportunity. It was great pressure!”

The first quarter elapsed without a score, but then CWU All American Cassidy Meyers came through with back-to-back tries. A third try from Heather Johnson and two Katerina Long conversions gave the visitors a 19-0 lead at break.

“We were trying out some different combinations in the back line, and the chemistry wasn't quite there with handling errors and timing,” Denham explained. “We also added some new players into the mix to see what they are capable of. This winter has been a growing season for us, as we are still developing younger players and getting the new players acquainted and comfortable with our systems.”

Amidst the moving parts was lock Haley Schafer, who helped steady CWU with resolute defense and aggression. Emerging from a fall season riddled with injuries, “she is healthy and back to her old self, making the crushing tackles she’s known for,” Denham said.

It was performances from players like Schafer that helped keep the win intact, as Washington State threatened with 19 points of its own in the second half. Tries from Asinate Serevi and Rosalind Pena, and a third conversion from Long, put the game out of reach, but WSU had the final say.

“The second half we did make some substitutions,” Denham reflected on being outscored 19-12 in the second stanza, “but our defensive organization had been a little off all game regardless. WSU played the full 80 minutes hard, where we may have only played 65 or 70. Those last 10 minutes WSU stepped on the gas and dashed in a couple tries, where we let up. That will be a good lesson for us moving forward.”

Central Washington (7-0) will play its final league game on Saturday against Oregon State (2-5) and, regardless of the outcome, take the top North seed to conference playoffs. Washington State finished the regular season 5-3, as did Oregon, but the Cougars took the #2 spot on points differential and head-to-head. The pair will accompany the four West division teams and two from the PMC South at the March 28-29 conference playoffs.