UNIVERSITY PARK, PA--- The Queens University of Charlotte women's rugby team won a close match Saturday as they beat Penn State 26-20.
 
WHAT HAPPENED?
Penn State got the lead In the first half as they got the try to make the score 5-0. Kamia Kruse would then tie the game up for the Royals as she made the try to make it 5-5 going into the half.
 
At the start of the second half, the Nittany Lions would take back the lead as they scored a penalty kick to get the 8-5 lead. The Royals wasted no time in getting the lead as Lea Preuss scored a try and Maddie Hughes made a conversion to put Queens on top 12-8. Later in the half, Maggie Dineen scored another try to give the Royals a nine point lead in the middle of the half. Maddie Hughes then followed with a conversion to make the score 19-8.
 
Penn State kept the game close as they scored another try and conversion to make the score 19-15. Lea Preuss and Maddie Hughes kept the Royals in the lead with a another try and conversion to make the score 26-15. Penn State would score another try, but it wasn't enough as the Royals got the win 26-20.
 
FROM COACH MESCHISI
'There were quite a few critical perks leading up to winning this game. Penn State has been a mecca of women's rugby for decades; for the Royals to play at that field was an honor and major privilege for our program. Being in that environment was a huge incentive for our team, to play where generations of Eagles were born! We also lucked out with the weather, and got to play in dry sunshine for a change of pace. Speaking of pace, we were finally able to use some of ours on the attacking front, successfully breaking the gain line more than we have been in previous matches. The team didn't take last week's bi-weekend lightly, and advantageously applied major components from our attack installment week into this match."
 
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Royals will return home for a morning doubleheader matchup against Florida State and Long Island University on Saturday, October 14 starting at 9:00 AM.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow the Royals women's rugby team on Instagram to stay up to date on all the latest news surrounding the team. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics to stay updated on all the Royals sports teams in action by searching @QueensAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.