CHICAGO – On Sept. 10, the Notre Dame College women's rugby program had the absolute pleasure of kicking off their season on the beautiful Chicago Lions rugby field. In what was a beautiful day for rugby, the Falcons put on a great performance for the traveling fans, defeating Northern Iowa by a score of 57-17.
 
The Falcons raced to an early lead by scoring four unanswered tries, with the forward pack being dominant in the first half and a special congratulations to Mary McLoughlin, tighthead prop, for scoring a first-half hattrick. Truly a rare sight and exceptional achievement from a position usually known for doing the grunt work. The scrum set pieces was where the forward pack truly showed their aggression by winning numerous scrums against the feed. The Falcons went into halftime with a 31-14 lead. 
 
As the game went on the backline really came into their own, with debutant rookie flyhalf, Alexis Smerek, growing with each passing minute and taking control of the match. Truly a debut the field general can be proud of. With the second half came substitutions as it was a blistering day in the heat, and from the bench another two rookie debutants, Isabella Gullatta and Kylie Mixter, really made an impact and kept the momentum rolling. Both scored in the second half with Gullatta scoring twice. 
 
Overall, a great team performance with some truly beautiful tries scored on the day and final score of 57-17 for the NDC Women's Rugby Falcons. After the match captain and All-American, Alivia Leatherman, was appointed man of the match. Recognition greatly deserved after a dominant display at scrum time and with ball in hand. This, however, was no easy decision as there were multiple players who could have gotten the honors on the day. Gabby Dispenza, being one of those players with brilliant work on both sides of the ball.
 
NDC women's rugby thanks the Chicago Lions Rugby Club, for hosting and giving all involved a special rugby memory they can cherish forever. And a thank you to the opponents, UNI, for a great match played in great spirit.
 
SCORERS:

Tries:
Alivia Leatherman x 1
Mary McLoughlin x 3
Britney Rose x 1
Gabby Dispenza x 1
Bella Gullatta x 2
Kylie Mixter x 1
 
Conversions:
Aubrey Boing x 3/5
Bella Gullatta x 3/4