Xander Fu
Suiluanna A’au breaks free of her Life University opponents during a home match. A’au currently leads the team in tries.

The No. 2 ranked women’s rugby team will face Brigham Young University (BYU) at home on Oct. 28. The Wildcats have gotten the best of BYU three of their last four previous matches.

The Wildcats have mostly come away with some wins against BYU, but that doesn’t mean they’re taking the matchup lightly.

“It’s honestly one of the most physical games, if we’re not in it then we’re not in it, we just need to play the best we can,” junior fly-half Leah Ingold said. “They know what they’re doing. We just need to tune in as a team.”

BYU isn’t just physical, but they are also capable of putting points up on the board, as they showed when they defeated Boise State 55-22. They are currently 2-0 going into the Oct. 28 match.

Sophomore center Suiluana A’au has had a big impact on the Wildcats season, leading the team in tries with ten. She agreed with her teammates that despite the favorable outcome based on previous matches, they shouldn’t be downplaying their competition.

“We can’t go in there thinking [we’re better]. We still gotta go and give them a good fight,” A’au said. “They’re really productive on their attack and their structure.”

For interim head coach Trevor Richards, this will be his first time seeing the women’s BYU team in action. Richards assisted CWU men’s head coach Todd Thornley last year, but joined the women in the wake of former coach Mel Denham’s resignation.

“They are usually pretty physical, very talented team. I’m more familiar with their men’s side than their women’s side because I coached the men last year,” Richards said. “I expect more of the same from them.”

The Wildcats have two games at home before the playoffs begin and these matchups could help steer the team in the right direction. They will face the Seattle Saracens in the last home game before postseason play.

“Get[ting] our momentum in the right direction is really important,” Richards said regarding the Wildcats finishing the season strong.

The Wildcats have enough motivation going into the game, but they know that they have more work to do in the upcoming games to get to the level that they are accustomed to playing.

“As a program, we’re not quite where we want to be yet. We’ve gotten second and third multiple years in a row,” Richards said. “We definitely have the capability of being the champions, but we still have a lot of work to get through.”