BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – First year women's rugby head coach Colleen Doherty's career at LIU Post started off on a high note Sunday afternoon at Robert Blitz Field as the LIU Post women's rugby team won two out of three matches against Molloy College.
 
While LIU Post fell 20-15 in match one, the Pioneers responded with a thrilling 22-19 come-from-behind victory in match two and also came back from a deficit to win match three 24-17.
 
Freshman Maqueisha Gillet's speed gave Molloy problems all afternoon as she totaled four tries on the day while freshmen Chanel Lubsey and Amber Wright each scored two. LIU Post's other try-scorers included freshmen Sydney Long and Brianna Thomas.
 
Match One – Molloy 20, LIU Post 15
Gillet set the tone for the rest of her daily in game one, crossing the line for a try with 5:23 on the clock. Long added another at 2:25 to give the Pioneers a 10-0 lead but the Lions would score prior to halftime, narrowing the Pioneers' lead to 10-5.
 
Molloy took a 15-10 lead with 2:58 left in the game but Lubsey responded with a try to make it a 15-15 match with 1:00 remaining. With 0:00 on the clock, the Lions scored to take game one, 20-15.
 
Match Two – LIU Post 22, Molloy 19
It was Molloy who got on the scoreboard first in game two as they took a 7-0 lead with 6:28 left in the half. Thomas made it a 7-5 match with 3:39 remaining but the Lions responded with another try to take a 12-5 lead with 1:55 on the clock. Wright added her second try of the day prior to halftime and the Pioneers went into halftime down 12-10.
 
Wright gave the Pioneers a 17-12 lead with 6:28 remaining but Molloy jumped ahead 19-17 with 3:15 left to play. Lubsey would score her second try of the day with 1:00 on the clock to seal the win for the Pioneers, 22-19.
 
Match Three – LIU Post 24, Molloy 17
Once again, Gillet opened the match with a try for the Pioneers as they took a 7-0 lead with 6:05 on the clock. Molloy went on to score the next two tries and lead 10-7 but a Wright try before halftime saw LIU Post take a 12-10 advantage into the intermission.
 
While Molloy scored with 3:50 left to play and took a 17-12 lead, Gillet scored with 2:45 remaining to make it a tied game. She then stormed down the center of the pitch with 0:00 on the clock and scored the match-winner, giving LIU Post a 24-17 win. 
 
Up Next
The Pioneers will travel to Hamden, Connecticut, on Sunday, March 31 for three matches against Quinnipiac University (4-5).