Life Wins at Lindenwood in Key Women D1A Meeting

03.04.2025College Women

Life University won the Women’s D1A (then called D1 Elite) final last year by a try, and the rematch of the two finalists was again close this week.

Life won again, this time 29-24, in a game that was almost tied (or fell Lindenwood’s way) with a potential game-tying try lost forward at the tryline.

Led by some solid work in set piece, with Bella Vogel handling the kicking game well at fullback, and Jenna Lees in strong form, Life were aggressive early and scored within the first three minutes.

Lindenwood responded three minutes later with Tanaka Kanyepi scoring on the wing.

Things settled down for a bit after that. Referee Akira Do let the teams play, letting some gray-area technical things go and that was welcomed by the players and coaches.

The result was 44 minutes of ball in play, which is quite high, and demanded both teams to rely on their fitness during the longer sequences.

Midway through the first half Life scored to extend their lead to 12-5, but reigning Sorensen Award winner Freda Tafuna scored to bring it closer at 12-10.

Life scored just before halftime and right right after halftime to seemingly take command at 24-10.

One more try and with 20 minutes to go, the Lions had a 19-point mountain to climb at 29-10.

Lindenwood kept at it, though, and freshman lock Jasmine Fehoko powered through from long range to score two tries and make it 29-24.

With time winding down, Tafuna got close and stretched over to score the game-tying try. The ball was knocked loose, and that was it.

For Lindenwood, Head Coach Trevor Locke said his team is putting in a new system, and with a couple of game cancelations last fall this was only the 4th game many of his players had played. Following, as they are, the NCAA game load guidelines, they have had limited games, but it’s also a case of finding the right competition. They played Queens in February and that was a late fixture replacement—Locke was hugely grateful for the game because finding opponents has been tough.

Along with Tafuna, new flanker He’len Dou’ble was a ferocious addition to the back row. Fehoko’s two clutch tries were more of a symptom of her value to the team than the actual measurement. Maddy Jersey has been very good at flyhalf.

The key to Lindenwood’s growth as they face Central Washington, BYU, Southern Nazarene, and Life over the next several weeks is to nail down their attack pattern. Locke has installed freshman flyhalf Gianna Diaz in the #10 jersey and it’s a high-pressure place for her. She has continued to play well but she also has a high ceiling and more games will provide more comfort to their system.

Meanwhile, Life Head Coach Ryszard Chadwick was quite chuffed at the result.

"What a performance. Lindenwood is not an easy venue to win at—they make it hostile, and playing on a football field throws you off a little, but such is the nature of the game. We showed great intent in attack and were unlucky not to build a bigger lead. Lindenwood didn't quit, though, and kept knocking on the door; we very nearly let them in toward the end. We have things we need to work on, of course, which we will focus on, but overall, I'm very happy with the fight and resilience the team showed to get the result we wanted."