The 2014-15 season was an unforgettable one for Life University, which competed in its first DI season and finished third at the national spring championships. The Running Eagles then followed with a debut performance at the CRC 7s and sent a representative to the first-ever Women’s Collegiate All American 7s team, which won the Elite City 7s. More new experiences await, as Life has built an all-varsity schedule for the fall and will play toward the DI Elite championship in the spring.

Life got right into it, heading north for a two-game tour against DI West Chester (Pa.) and Quinnipiac (Conn.), and returned to Georgia 1-1.

“The tour was fantastic,” Life coach Ros Chou conveyed. “We hit all the objectives I was hoping for us in terms of getting a measure of where we currently stand with our first two games of the season and team building. Right now, we're not as focused on results as much as we are getting our new players into the fold, getting reps, and building a foundation moving into the spring.”

First up was West Chester (1-3) in a rematch of the spring championship’s third-place game, a game that Life won 34-10 a few months ago. The Golden Rams are struggling with depth this year, and that deficit played out in a 45-0 shutout loss to the visitors. West Chester has also dropped games to Harvard and Penn State, and has beaten James Madison.

Junior Kaitlyn Broughton led all point-scorers with a hat trick, while Kimberly Semiglia, Deshel Ferguson, N’Keiah Butler, and newcomer Whitney Wilson all added tries. Wilson also added two conversions, and Madison Ohmann slotted three.

The competition intensified on Saturday, as Life traveled to Quinnipiac (4-1) in Hamden, Conn. The Bobcats have found their form, having regrouped after from a single-digit defeat to Army to beat Norwich by 29 points the weekend previous.

Twelve minutes in, Quinnipiac halfback Maggie Myles scored the first of her two tries, the second coming in the final quarter. Sophomore center Ilona Maher added a try, and with Madison Gegeckas’ two conversions, the Bobcats logged 19 points.

Life remained scoreless until the final five minutes of the match, when Darian Lovelace took a tap penalty two meters into the try zone, 19-5.

“I saw some really great things, especially defensively, in both games,” Chou praised. “We knew playing two matches in three days was going to be difficult, especially with the wetter and cooler conditions. 

“All the credit goes to Quinnpiac for really playing disciplined and clinical rugby," Chou added. "They were extremely physical and challenged us in all areas of the game. We gained so much playing two varsity teams and look forward to attacking areas in which we need to improve as we look ahead to West Point. We know they will be very fit and have some really dynamic attackers.”

The tour gave some newcomers some much anticipated field time. Wilson is the most notable of the freshman class, having played for the High School All Americans and junior Olympians, and did well in her first appearance. Chou was also impressed with Ravyn Santiago, who has integrated into Life’s systems well.

“I'm also quite happy with Sylina Flowers and Savannah Austin,” Chou further acknowledged. “They are putting in quite a bit of work and getting some much need reps as well. We will see continued improvement from the rest of our new players and will build that depth that we will need going into the spring.”

Life now starts a four-game homestand, beginning with Army on Oct. 17. The Black Knights put in an impressive performance against Penn State last weekend, losing 34-21. On Halloween, the Running Eagles will host Lindenwood, Notre Dame College on Nov. 7, and then Stars Rugby on Nov. 21.