New Mexico is proof that, any given day, any team can win. The Lobos nearly saw its 30-29 win over Mountain West power Women’s Cougar Rugby slip away in the final moments of the game, when BYU lined up a 22-meter penalty. But the rugby gods blew the wind in the host’s favor, and New Mexico won its second consecutive league title.

“I knew coming into this match, it was going to be a close one,” New Mexico assistant coach Maria Clifcorn said. “BYU is always a difficult team to play, and we knew this was going to be our toughest fall match.”

Both teams were undefeated heading into the conference final, and BYU had impressed with a 36-19 win over top-five Quinnipiac. But the Utah team looked a little different on Saturday.

“We fielded an under-strength side,” BYU coach Tom Waqa said. “We missed some key starters in the likes of Dana Mortensen and [All American] Jordan Gray, who are nursing injuries. That gave an opportunity for others to step up and also to work our depth. Some took a step forward, some struggled. It's a good situation for our coaching staff to gauge players. Those injured players will be back soon, so we feel pretty good going forward.”

New Mexico is a work-in-progress, too.

“We have more rookies than veterans this year, so our game organization was a bit in disarray,” Clifcorn said. “BYU executed on our disorganization, which cost us five tries and two conversions. But, our edge over BYU came from the speed we have on the outside with our wingers: Tanya Aragon and Whitney White.”

And then some. BYU could not contain UNM’s powerful wings, who were as instrumental in last year’s 29-17 conference win as they were last weekend. New Mexico may have graduated a bunch of players, but key finishers like Aragon (18 tries this season) and White (6'2", 3 tries vs. BYU in 2013 title match), and the play-making duo of Emma and Brawley McCaslin – all of whom were try-scorers on Saturday – made the Lobos difficult to contain.

The title bout itself saw five lead changes. BYU got up first when Nicole McCullough scored, and Paige Torgeson converted. But then BYU got into penalty trouble that spiraled out of control. By game’s end, the Cougars racked up a remarkable 30+ penalties, while New Mexico was charged with less than 10.

The Cougars tried to stay fluid; meanwhile, New Mexico took advantage and answered with three consecutive tries – one through Brawley McCaslin and two from the wings (15-7). By game’s end, Aragon and White would score two tries apiece.

BYU regained composure just in time and put up three tries through Mary White, Shaye Grether and Lindsay Sheridan to go ahead 22-20, and from there, the teams traded scores and the lead. Lora Gubler dotted down BYU’s last try, while flyhalf Emma McCaslin kept working the ball wide to put her speedsters into space. With minutes remaining, UNM held onto a tenuous 30-29 lead and made an almost-costly error. A penalty provided BYU with the opportunity to go ahead, possibly for good.

“Luck was on our side because the ball went slightly outside the uprights,” Clifcorn remembered. “At this point, we knew we had to maintain possession without making any more costly penalties. The girls kept their composure, and we came out with the win.”

“We didn't start very well in the first half and tried to steal it in the second half,” Waqa said. “We were successfully adjusting to officials, but it was too much. We still had a chance to win it with that penalty in the end, but the pressure was too much.

“Congratulations to New Mexico,” Waqa added. “Both their fast wings were exceptional today. They played really well.”

Both teams move onto the spring version of the DI championships that are occurring now. The finalists will also meet in March 2015 in Utah for a playoff warm-up match, a game for which BYU is eagerly awaiting.

New Mexico 30
Tries: White 2, Aragon 2, McCaslin, E., McCaslin, B.

BYU 29
Tries: McCullough, White, Grether, Sheridan, Gubler
Cons: Torgeson 2