An absolutely fantastic weekend evolved in State College, Pa., as three of the top-ranked DI women’s colleges assembled for a round robin. This was no friendly series, however, as Penn State, Lindenwood, and Army all knew this competition would be the best competition they’d see before post-season.

Visitors Lindenwood and Army opened up on Friday night, and the Black Knights took an early 3-0 lead off Nicole Heavirland's boot. Flyhalf McKenzie Hawkins answered with her first of two penalties, and then Joyce Taufa crashed through for the game's first try, 8-3 Lindenwood. The Lady Lions pushed their lead to 15-3 before the break, as Amanda Divich caused a turnover, and Hawkins turned the possession into a converted try.

Hawkins added another penalty before wing Kendal McCracken finished off a series of phases for a converted try, 25-3. The defense held tough as Army threatened to score on several occasions, but it was Chelsey McMichael who had the final say with a fourth Lindenwood try, 30-3.

"This was a massive win for us this season and really solidified the growth of the women’s program,” Lindenwood coach Billy Nicolas reported. “We knew coming into this match they had great fitness and were relentless. The team really stepped up and didn’t concede a try all night. We had a plan going into the night and it worked out pretty well for us. This was truly a big team win for us."

The Missouri side didn’t have much time to relish the win, as reigning DI champion Penn State awaited on Saturday afternoon. But Nicholas intentionally planned this schedule to mirror the post-season when back-to-back games occur against increasingly difficult opponents.

The Nittany Lions were missing some key personnel – like Women's Junior All American (WJAA) captain Kyla Chipman – but that didn't impede a 30-6 victory. Hope Rogers, Katie Mueller, and Taylah Pipkin led the forwards and were destructive in the set pieces, as well as in the open field. Halfbacks Carly Waters and Gabby Cantorna reignited their partnership, one that was refined during the WJAAs’ Can-Am Games this summer, and Rachel Ehrecke was a fine finisher out wide.

“Lindenwood really challenged our backline and our scrums,” Cantorna said. “They had some strong forwards, so the set pieces were always a fight, and a lot of dynamic backs, so there was always the threat of speed on the outside.”

The Lady Lions’ six points came from Hawkins off the tee.

“We got tested defensively for the first time this weekend,” Hawkins said of both Penn State and Army. “We had a powerful sense of desire to keep working hard and improve each other as teammates. The loss this weekend was merely numerical for us – our ceiling for growth and potential is extremely high.”

All American Gio Cruz, who captained Lindenwood against Penn State, was also proud of her team’s effort.

“We stayed positive the whole time as a team,” the flanker asserted. “We had a sense of urgency, but at the same time, we kept our composure even when things didn’t go our way between injuries and calls. We kept pushing, and that is a testament to playing for one another out there”.

With two games down, that left the Penn State vs. Army match today. With a day’s rest, the Black Knights were renewed and determined, and started the game with a Lindy Clark try and Heavirland conversion. The pair have named Army West Point's Athlete of the Week this season.

Penn State then rallied with three straight tries, two from Eagle Rogers and another from WJAA Pipkin for the 17-7 lead. Army ensured that PSU didn’t run away with momentum, and capitalized on an offsides penalty with a quick tap and try from forward captain Chioma Odocha (17-14). But before the half, the ever-damaging Rogers rumbled over for try number three, giving the hosts a 22-14 edge into the break.

The drama continued into the second stanza, as Kirsten Redmon dotted down Army’s third try, and Heavirland sent her third conversion between the sticks, 22-21. That was all the scoring for the Black Knights, and Penn State tacked on tries from Rogers and Cantorna, and a conversion from Tess Feury for the 34-21 win.

“I absolutely love these kinds of games,” Cantorna confessed. “These are the kinds of games that make us better, and that we learn so much from. We play rugby because we love the challenge and the hard hits, and that's exactly what these games gave us. We knew they would test us for 80 minutes. They didn't disappoint.

“I think what was really impressive about the team this weekend was the effort and growth mindset everyone showed,” Cantorna added. “It was a tough two-game weekend against two skilled teams, but everyone kept working and building each other up. We had some injuries, which gave a lot of our newer players the chance to step up. The new players’ work rate and commitment to learning paired with the experience players' skill is what really allowed us to come away with the wins.”

It's also worth noting that Lindenwood won both B side matches: 37-0 vs. Army, 50-37 vs. Penn State.

Penn State kicks off its Big Ten campaign against Notre Dame this weekend, while Army and Lindenwood take a break. The Black Knights will resume with a rematch against AIC, while the Lady Lions return to the East Coast for another two-game series. UVA and North Carolina will play host during the Oct. 9-11 tour.