The first day of the Elite Eight rugby tournament was successful for the Wildcats, as both teams ruled the field with a 66-5 win against Gustavus Adolphus for the women and a 34-10 win against Wisconsin River Falls for the men.

 
However, the women were not so lucky on Sunday, losing to Moorhead and making it the last game of the teams season.

 
This tournament is one of the biggest for small college club teams, so the stands were nearly packed. Upon admission, nearly every visitor received a paper that described each team and a “terrible towel.”

 
Governor of Nebraska Pete Ricketts also attended the games, wearing a black and yellow shirt to support WSC.

 
Before the girls game, fireworks were set off, further adding to the intensity of the matches.

 
The women’s team had a target on their backs, coming into the competition 14-0 and also holding four national championships.

 
The team’s competition, Gustavus Adolphus, came to the tournament with only one loss and had hard runners.

Other teams in the tournament include Wisconsin-Platteville, who earned its first birth to the Elite Eight after only losing two games all season, and Moorhead, who is also undefeated for the season and was first described as being the “true number one” team.

 
During pauses or tries, 300 Frisbees were thrown to the crowd that could be turned in for coupons after the men’s game. These coupons ranged anywhere from $300 off of a diamond ring to free bowling.

“With the Saturday game with the women, we did several trick plays that worked very well, we did some razzle dazzle and scored a lot of points,” rugby coach Darrin Barner said.

Winning Saturday for the women meant that they moved on to Sunday’s game for the possibility to make it to Final Four.

The women faced off against Moorhead on Sunday and had their 15-game win streak broken and lost their number one title with the score 34-12.

“My favorite part was being able to play with my team and share this experience with them,” rugby player Hannah Meyer said. “The weekend didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but I am so proud of our team and all that we accomplished this year.”

The men’s 34-10 victory against Wisconsin River Falls moves the team on to the Elite Eight Tournament in Elkhart, Ind., where they will face off against the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown.
After losing their first three games of the season, the men’s team has won 15-straight games.

“It was top notch rugby this weekend, and we can hold our heads high as we go forward,” Barner said.