Match Report: Central Washington University

In our first meeting against CWU since February 2022 (UW 0 - CWU 86), this match was highly anticipated and and the Dawgs were itching to get out ahead of Central early, which they did.

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3 converted, unanswered tries in the first half seemed to put Central away, and gave UW belief in their ability to win. Tries by Thomas Williams (lock), Josef "Pepi" Dostal (IC), and Xavier Moimoi (LHP) were all the result of dominant carries by UW. 21-0 is a big lead to start with, considering UW only scored one game in Corvallis last weekend. It got uncomfortable after CWU's first try, and another from an intercepted pass by CWU's inside center before the half.

Halftime score UW 21 - CWU 14.

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Out of the half with lineout specialist Thomas Williams off with a sprained ankle, the lineouts struggled. After some back and forth, a UW quick tap from scrumhalf Shun Nakatani resulted in a fantastic solo try beating 3 defenders. Seb Sosa converted the fourth try, 4/4 on the day.

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Two more tries by CWU's hard-running wing, and another from their inside center gave CWU their first lead of the game, and the win.

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Final 1st XV score: UW 28 - CWU 31

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Positive takeaways are that we played a more coordinated, collective game than did CWU. Our tries were mostly team tries. Our defensive shape improved dramatically from last game, but a few lapses in discipline in the red zone allowed CWU to score, and one error resulting in the intercepted try would be the game. Fatigue reared its ugly head, and with this week's bye you can count on these to be a focal point at training leading to our game in Eugene on Nov 15 vs Oregon.

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For UW's 2nd XV, it was a showcase of our depth and desire against a less experienced CWU team. The Dirty Dawgs scored 13 tries, and allowed some non-typical kickers to attempt conversions (very few of them successful). Multiple tries were scored by each of the following: Maxime Cauchie, Michael Bruin, Hayden Wiggins, Noah Braun, and Jamie Park, with Freshman and Sophomore players leading the way.

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Final 2nd XV score: UW 77 - CWU 0