It may have a young team, but that did not discourage the Penn State women's rugby team this season, and it was able to capture the No. 1 seed.

The Lady Ruggers secured their No. 1 ranking for the start of the spring season in the Potomac Rugby Union this past Saturday afternoon when they traveled to Washington, D.C., and defeated American University, 34-3, in the final league game of the fall season.

"We started with a young team and ended No. 1, which has only happened one other year," Penn State forward Kirsten Aerts said. "If we keep going at this rate, we'll do really well in the spring."

Helping to secure that spot were the four Lady Ruggers who scored tries in the game. Each scoring a try in the first half were flankers Cherish Miller and Amanda Gehman as well as fullback Amber Benlian. Gehman, Benlian and wing Sally Gimbert each added another try the second half of the game. Kicker Beth Hart was successful in two of the conversion kicks for the afternoon.

Penn State played a better American team than it had faced in previous years. The team has a tendency to play down to the level of weaker opponents, but for the most part, was able to stay on top of its own game on Saturday.

"At times we were complacent out on the field, but there were other times when we played really well, especially when we used our wide game. Whenever we used the wide game, we were able to score," flyhalf Jenny Lui said.

The Lady Ruggers will have the winter and the beginning of the spring semester to prepare for the spring season. Penn State women's rugby coach Pete Steinberg said the offseason would be vital to the team, especially in the area of conditioning.

"What we do now until March will be key," Steinberg said. "We have to get people much fitter and now is the time to focus on that."

Now that the fall season has ended, the team will have to build off of fall in order to have a successful spring.

"We're at a good point especially since we're a young team," flanker Amanda Gehman said. "You can always say you want to be better, but I'm pretty happy with where we are at now."

The B side of the team also had a chance to play against American on Saturday and shut out the Eagles, 15-0, as eight-man Lisa Brook scored two tries and Renee Britton added a third.

Steinberg was pleased with the B side's domination over a somewhat experienced American team and said he hopes the enthusiasm continues into the spring season.

"The best thing that came out of this weekend was that our B side played so well," he said. "It shows we have a lot of depth, which will be a real opportunity for those players in the spring."