Army West Point Athletics
Saturday, October 24
West Point, N.Y.
12:00 p.m.
Army West Point
12
vs
5
Lindenwood
October 24, 2026 | Women's Rugby
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point women's rugby battled to earn a hard-fought 12-5 victory over the Lindenwood Lions on Saturday afternoon at Anderson Rugby Complex. After falling behind from an early try by the Lions, the Black Knights' defense held strong to keep the visitors off the scoreboard for the remainder of the contest.
The win marks Army's first win over Lindenwood in 15s competition in program history, advancing the Black Knights to a 3-1 record in National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) matchups this season.
After trading possessions to open the contest, Lindenwood struck first nearly 15 minutes into action. A lateral pass allowed the Lions to find an opening in the Black Knights' defense and reach the try zone. Lindenwood missed the conversion attempt, keeping the score at 5-0 following the try.
Over the next 19 minutes of play, Army continued to look for opportunities to get on the board, gaining momentum after forcing a Lindenwood turnover in the 32nd minute. After regaining possession of the ball, Army's offense began to make a push for the try zone with a kick from Emily Steen placing the Black Knights in Lindenwood territory.
A perfect throw-in set up a series of passes by Army to find Yesenia Morales, who broke through the Lions' defense to score Black Knights' first try of the afternoon. After finding open space, Morales fought through multiple defenders and dove to ground the ball in the try zone at 33:30 to even the score at 5-5. Steen knocked through the conversion to give Army a 7-5 lead that held through the remainder of the first half.
Coming out of the break, Lindenwood's offense applied pressure, staying on Army's side of the field for the first 20 minutes of the second half. The defense from the Black Knights stood tall, keeping the Lions off the board and giving Army a chance to extend its lead.
After a promising push for a try by Army was called back, the Black Knights showed their resilience right outside the try zone. The Lions attempt to kick the ball away from their try zone in the 70th minute was blocked and recovered in the try zone by Kaiya Wrigley to swing the momentum in Army's favor and give them a seven-point lead with just over 10 minutes left in the contest.
Although a missed conversion kept it a one-score game, Army's defense never let up, holding the Lions away from the try zone as the clock expired to seal the Black Knights' 12-5 victory at home.
Match Scoresheet
14:34 | Lindenwood – Try 0-5
33:30 | Yesenia Morales – Try 5-5
Emily Steen – Conversion 7-5
69:15 | Kaiya Wrigley – Try 12-5
Up Next
The Black Knights head to Annapolis, Md. on Oct. 31 for the final match of the regular season when they take on service academy rival Navy as part of the Star Series Presented by USAA. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET from the Prusmack Rugby Center.
Follow the Black Knights
Follow Army Women's Rugby on X @ArmyWP_WRugby and on Instagram @womens.army.rugby. Fans can also like Army West Point Athletics on Facebook and learn more about women's rugby and other programs at goarmywestpoint.com.
Army West Point Athletic Association, Inc. (AWPAA)
AWPAA is an IRS code 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established to execute the United States Military Academy's intercollegiate athletics program. AWPAA is led by a board of directors that provides guidance to the director of athletics, who serves as the primary advisor to the USMA Superintendent and the USMA leadership on all NCAA operations. The AWPAA mission is to recruit, educate, train and inspire leaders of character who are committed to the Army values through an extraordinary Division I athletic experience.
The win marks Army's first win over Lindenwood in 15s competition in program history, advancing the Black Knights to a 3-1 record in National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) matchups this season.
After trading possessions to open the contest, Lindenwood struck first nearly 15 minutes into action. A lateral pass allowed the Lions to find an opening in the Black Knights' defense and reach the try zone. Lindenwood missed the conversion attempt, keeping the score at 5-0 following the try.
Over the next 19 minutes of play, Army continued to look for opportunities to get on the board, gaining momentum after forcing a Lindenwood turnover in the 32nd minute. After regaining possession of the ball, Army's offense began to make a push for the try zone with a kick from Emily Steen placing the Black Knights in Lindenwood territory.
A perfect throw-in set up a series of passes by Army to find Yesenia Morales, who broke through the Lions' defense to score Black Knights' first try of the afternoon. After finding open space, Morales fought through multiple defenders and dove to ground the ball in the try zone at 33:30 to even the score at 5-5. Steen knocked through the conversion to give Army a 7-5 lead that held through the remainder of the first half.
Coming out of the break, Lindenwood's offense applied pressure, staying on Army's side of the field for the first 20 minutes of the second half. The defense from the Black Knights stood tall, keeping the Lions off the board and giving Army a chance to extend its lead.
After a promising push for a try by Army was called back, the Black Knights showed their resilience right outside the try zone. The Lions attempt to kick the ball away from their try zone in the 70th minute was blocked and recovered in the try zone by Kaiya Wrigley to swing the momentum in Army's favor and give them a seven-point lead with just over 10 minutes left in the contest.
Although a missed conversion kept it a one-score game, Army's defense never let up, holding the Lions away from the try zone as the clock expired to seal the Black Knights' 12-5 victory at home.
Match Scoresheet
14:34 | Lindenwood – Try 0-5
33:30 | Yesenia Morales – Try 5-5
Emily Steen – Conversion 7-5
69:15 | Kaiya Wrigley – Try 12-5
Up Next
The Black Knights head to Annapolis, Md. on Oct. 31 for the final match of the regular season when they take on service academy rival Navy as part of the Star Series Presented by USAA. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET from the Prusmack Rugby Center.
Follow the Black Knights
Follow Army Women's Rugby on X @ArmyWP_WRugby and on Instagram @womens.army.rugby. Fans can also like Army West Point Athletics on Facebook and learn more about women's rugby and other programs at goarmywestpoint.com.
Army West Point Athletic Association, Inc. (AWPAA)
AWPAA is an IRS code 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established to execute the United States Military Academy's intercollegiate athletics program. AWPAA is led by a board of directors that provides guidance to the director of athletics, who serves as the primary advisor to the USMA Superintendent and the USMA leadership on all NCAA operations. The AWPAA mission is to recruit, educate, train and inspire leaders of character who are committed to the Army values through an extraordinary Division I athletic experience.
Players Mentioned
Center
/ Women's Rugby
Fullback
/ Women's Rugby
Flyhalf
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