Coming into Friday night's game against Princeton, the Penn State women's rugby team knew it was going to be a tough match. Princeton finished third in the nation last spring, right behind Penn State, who placed second.

"I think it's going to be our toughest game so far," team captain Amber Benlian said.

"It will be a real test for us tonight to see where we stand."

Penn State came out strong from the start and continued to dominate the rest of the game, winning the match, 50-14, at East Campus Field.

"Overall, we were more aggressive than they were, and the score shows we wanted the ball more than they did," Benlian said.

Penn State came out strong from the kickoff, scoring twice within the opening minutes of the match.

The Lions were also able to transition quickly off the scrums and line-outs, beating Princeton down the field with great organization and support.

Before the game, Penn State women's rugby coach Pete Steinberg said he wanted his team to work on moving the ball forward and to keep good possession. Afterward, he was pleased with his team's ability to support each other in handling the ball.

"Our support was very good, especially off the scrums and the line-outs," he said. "That's where you win, with possession."

Penn State's defense also played well, shutting out Princeton in the second half. With Princeton unable to mount a significant comeback, Penn State kept the ball on Princeton's half of the field for the majority of the game. Although it lost momentum at the end of the first half, allowing the Tigers a late first-half score, Penn State came out strong again in the second. Penn State did not lose control of the game after the end of the first.

The Lions beat Princeton with superior fitness and strength. Their strength was evident, as they easily pushed Princeton off the ball on the scrums. The Lions outran and out-hustled the Tigers, getting some key breaks through the defense. This speed was attributed to their preparation for the physical game against the Tigers.

"We've been conditioning hard and practicing hard, and we are a very fit team," Benlian said.

Although the fall is rugby's non-competitive season, Steinberg was happy to have an opportunity to play Princeton in this fall league.

"We will be able to learn something about them in this game to use in the spring because I'm sure we'll see them again," he said.

The fall is a time to work on team development and to establish the national team, which will compete in the spring. Steinberg was especially proud of the undefeated fall season.

"We haven't lost a game so far this year which shows two things: One, the strength of the returning players, and two, the strength of the recruits we have coming out for the first time," he said.

The Lions have incredible depth on their fall roster. They have close to 70 players playing for them this season. Freshmen Erin Collins and Annie Zeigler are two newcomers expected to make big impacts for the team in the spring.

"I thought everyone who stepped on the field played well," Steinberg said.