CWU Wins Comeback Thriller Over UVic

Victoria unleashed probably their best sequence of organized play and stretched CWU long enough to score with about four minutes left in the first half. That made it 17-12, but right off the restart Central moved their way down close to the UVic line. They ran the big runners off scrumhalf Kye Jones three times, and once the Vikings defenders were drawn in, Tregoning fired a wide pass to wing Oscar Treacy, who raced over and curved behind the posts. Tregoning kicked the extras and it was now 19-17 for Central Washington.

UVic were held off one final time and forced into touch before the halftime whistle came.

In the second half UVic started much stronger, scoring within a few minutes. Central answered, powering over with the forwards—prop Daniel McQuade took a nice tips pass from Robb and kept driving to drag tacklers over. But the Vikes to got one more, juggling the ball just before touching it down. They held on 29-24 midway through the second half.

But the final 20 minutes belonged to the Wildcats.

A long sequence of phases from Central could have ended with the Wildcats pushing too much or getting impatient. UVic’s defense was very good, but eventually Treacy unleashed a couple of nasty sidesteps to run in to tie the game.

Tregoning converted and Central Washington led 31-29.

The Wildcats had a few minutes to close it out and they did so in style, with Treacy once again showcasing his attacking skill with a break up the middle and long-range try.

That finished it off 38-31.

“Not our best game but we found a way,” said CWU Head Coach Todd Thornley. “Some skillset issues—tackle and handling—made the game difficult for us. But we stayed together and focused on winning the nest battle.”

CWU’s lineout and scrum were solid. Forcing scrum penalties when UVic had the put-in was a crucial part of the game. They were good on the defensive lineouts, too, and that helped turn the tide.