Is Lindenwood #1 in D1 Elite? Not Yet
Is Lindenwood #1 in D1 Elite? Not Yet
The seedings for the Women's D1 Elite playoffs this fall aren't exactly set, but we have a pretty good idea how they will go.
Penn State has been the most active, and it's been rough for the Nittany Lions, as they have in the last week and a half lost to Central Washington and Life University, but by over 50 points. Meanwhile, LIndenwood faced off with Life over the weekend and, despite a coaching shift, won 24-14.
Lindenwood led early with a counter-attack run from fullback Demi Allen. Wing Helen van Hattem scored off a move from a scrum, but Matilda Kocaj got one back for Life to make it 12-7 at the break. Right after halftime Amaya Moala scored and Jessica Keating's conversion put the Running Eagles ahead 14-12. Lindenwood responded with two more tries from van Hattem and a solid defensive effort to seal it. Lindenwood also won in the very comeptitive 2nd-side game 36-21.
The girls were immense in the efforts on the weekend for both matches," said interim Head Coach Trevor Locke. "Life was tremendously physical and pressed us late into the first side game. We had to work hard to maintain our lead in the final minutes, which is a testament to how tough our team is both mentally and physically."
So that all leaves the D1 Elite standings as follows:
| D1 Elite | W | L | T | PF | PA | PD | BT | BL | Pts |
| Central Washington | 1 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 12 | 51 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Life | 1 | 1 | 0 | 67 | 24 | 43 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Lindenwoood | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Penn State | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 116 | -104 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
This is all to set up the seedings. Central Washington plays BYU this coming weekend which is not a D1 Elite game, but is interesting nonetheless. Penn State takes on Army a week later—same story. Lindenwood faces CWU in Ellensburg, Wash. October 22 and that game will likely decide who is seeded #1 and who will be #2.
All of this is a bit of a rush as the D1 Elite semis and final are in the fall, with the championship game set for Charlotte the first weekend in December.
"We are definitely having to prepare faster this year," said Locke. "With the turnover in the roster from last year's senior heavy class, we are filling in with a lot of fresh faces up and down the roster. But again, it shows how hard the girls are working day to day and just how excited they are to compete."