The women's rugby team lost its Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union (EPRU) Division II semifinal match against Temple University on Saturday, but came back on Sunday to beat the Hawks of St. Joseph's University, 22-5.
The team had lost to St. Josephs' earlier in the season but bounced back to beat them in the playoffs, giving them a third place finish at the EPRU Division II Championships.
The Lions lost the game against Temple despite dominating play for most of the match. Temple struck early with three breakaways.
"Temple just got the best of us," sophomore fly half Tracy Karmel said. "They are a big team and we broke down defensively."
"I am really proud of how our team came together today," Karmel said. "We learned from the mistakes we made on Saturday, and put all of our energy into beating St. Joe's. We played good, solid rugby and, most importantly, it was a team win. It was a good note to end the season on."
Last weekend, the rugby team competed in the EPRU quarterfinals against Bucknell University, and once again won convincingly. The Lions advanced after beating the Buffalos 15-0.
After a disappointing start at away matches in September, the women are undefeated and unscored against at home this season.
The women will now advance to the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union tournament to be held in the spring.
