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DIAA West Bracket - GCU, UCD

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DIAA West Bracket - GCU, UCD

J. Dalton photo.

Grand Canyon University and UC Davis will face off Sunday in the DIAA Western Bracket after both won games on Saturday.

The quarterfinals in the West were played at Western Washington University's rugby stadium in Bellingham, Wash. on a cold, rainy day. The conditions may not have made for the prettiest rugby, but it was certainly dramatic.

In an exciting opener, Grand Canyon took an early lead thanks to Maceo Brown. Brent Williams added a try for a 12-0 lead. But Western Washington battled back, scoring a try and then working a nice move off a lineout to take the lead 14-12.

With time almost up, GCU got a scrum at midfield. On a day when defenses had held firm and slick ball handling at a premium, the 'Lopes unleashed an excellent backline move. They broke through the middle, worked several more passes, and Dru Pelter took off down the sideline to touch down. WWU replied and were almost away for an answering try. But Grand Canyon held firm, and eventually forced a knock-on that ended the game 17-14 for GCU.

In the second game of the day, UC Davis defeated Cal State Long Beach 46-21 to move on.

On Sunday, GCU takes on UC Davis for the right to play the winner of Missouri and Florida State for the spring DIAA title, and the right to play Notre Dame College for the 2016-17 season championship.