HAMDEN, Conn.—The Sacred Heart University women's rugby team fell 22-17 on the road at Quinnipiac on Saturday afternoon in National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) action. The Pioneers are now 3-1 overall and in conference play, while the Bobcats improved to 2-2.

The teams traded tries in the opening half and held a 10-10 tie at halftime. Quinnipiac got on the board first at the eight-minute mark and missed the conversion for a 5-0 lead. Reece Woods scored first for the Pioneers at 17:00 to tie the game, 5-5. The Bobcats added another try just a few minutes later and would hold the 10-5 lead until the final seconds of the half. Fabiola Millien-Faustin brought in the second try of the day for the Pioneers to even the score, 10-10.

Quinnipiac scored twice, taking a 22-10 advantage. SHU scored its lone try of the second half from Kaleigh Ahern and the conversion from Alyssa Cunnigham was good, cutting the deficit to 22-17. Quinnipiac held off the Pioneers for the final few minutes and snapped SHU's three-game win streak.

"It was a hard-fought game in rough field conditions," said Head Coach Michelle Reed. "We have some work to do on our fundamentals, but I am impressed with the heart we played with. We never backed down and will continue to keep coming."

Sacred Heart is back in action on October 14, on the road at Navy at 10:00 AM.