Feb. 23 — Arizona hosted UC San Diego on Saturday with added motivation: sending six seniors out with a crucial conference win. With both teams fighting to stay alive in the Pacific Desert Rugby Conference race, the stakes were clear from kickoff.

The Wildcats struck first after a period of well-constructed attack, as Gabby Barth finished in the corner to open the scoring. Molly Chisholm added the conversion to make it 7–0.

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Chisholm, returning from injury, made an immediate impact. The flyhalf sparked a line break down the left touchline and capped the sequence two phases later with a try of her own, extending the lead to 14–7. Arizona carried that advantage into halftime, with disciplined defense keeping the Tritons largely out of the try zone.

Lena Boucher added another score to push the margin to 19–7 before UC San Diego responded late to narrow the gap. However, lockdown defense and sure tackling in the closing stages sealed the Wildcats’ first win of the spring — a significant step forward for a side beginning to find its rhythm.

 

“I was proud of the attitude that we brought into this weekend’s game,” said Head Coach Tatum Quimby. “Everyone showed up for each other. The forwards worked well as a unit, and the attacking pods were rewarded with some big line breaks and offloads late in the game. Our backline really hit their stride in the second half, and I could see things clicking into place as we continue building chemistry.”

 

The Senior Day victory provided a fitting send-off for six Wildcats, including Aspen Wrzesinske, who has served the program as both scrumhalf and team president. "The team has given me some of the best experiences of my life, I am so grateful for the opportunity to have spent the last four years here" said Wrzesinske.

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The Wildcats will travel to UCLA this weekend looking to secure their second straight victory.​​ Arizona's full schedule can be found here.​​​​​​​​

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Scoring vs UC-San Diego

Tries: Barth, Chisholm, Boucher

Conversions: Chisholm- 2/3

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Arizona vs UC-San Diego

1- Katey Ehlers

2- Lena Boucher (senior)

3- Gabby Barth (senior)

4- Gabby Sheffield

5- Sloan Malepsy

6- Payton Kloepping

7- Finley Korn

8- Adrienne Emma (captain, senior)

9- Aspen Wrzesinske (senior)

10- Molly Chisholm

11- Remy Poisl

12- Bailey Castaneda

13- AJ Chacon

14- Aria Lewis

15- Jojo Hanley

16- Kaya Graham

17- Elizabeth Roldan

18- Alyssa Jenkins

 

Other Seniors honored

-Hannah Ketcham

-Emma Cook​​​​​​