Lindenwood went 2-0 during its second East Coast double-header, this time traveling farther south for matches against Virginia Women’s Rugby (UVA) and North Carolina. The Lady Lions dominated both matches to the tune of 118-5, and were able to exercise their depth during the Friday/Sunday schedule.

Friday evening, Lindenwood lined up against UVA and won 57-0. Amanda Divich led all point-scorers with a hat trick, while McKenzie Hawkins followed with 13 points on a try and four conversions. Lia Illi, Joyce Taufa, Hannah Gauthreaux (also had two conversions), Carly McPolin, and Laura Enk all scored a try apiece.

Despite the nice distrubition of scores, Lindenwood coach Billy Nicholas wasn't thoroughly satisfied with the team’s performance.

“We weren’t firing on all cylinders during this match,” Nicholas observed. “We left some points on the board, and credit to UVA for continuing to really make us earn the points we did.”

Nicholas did praise the scrum, which has improved and whose hard work helped set up lots of possession.

UNC played host on Sunday and was treated to a similar result – 61-5 in favor of Lindenwood. Aside from loose forward Gio Cruz’s hat trick, the scoring was once again well shared across the pitch. Taufa, Enk, Divich, and McPolin reappeared on the box score, dotting down a try apiece, while Nene Persinger, Taina Aumua, and Chelsey McMichael got their first tries of the weekend.

Hawkins added nine points off the boot, while Gauthreaux slotted a conversion.

“The match was very physical, especially at the breakdown,” Nicholas reported. “We knew going into this match that they had some speed in their backline, so we were happy to play some pretty solid pressure defense against them.

“Gio Cruz continued to stand out for us in the forwards,” Nicholas added. “It took 3-4 girls to bring her down every time she touched the ball, and she put in 20-30-meter runs all day.”

It was another educational weekend for the St. Charles team, one that afforded more opportunites to experiment with positions and familiarize itself with grueling schedules. The process will continue closer to home the next two weekends, as Lindenwood hosts women’s clubs Kansas City Jazz and St. Louis Sabres. On Halloween, Lindenwood heads down to Life University, and then rounds out the fall season with a DI friendly against Iowa State.