The women’s rugby team improved its record to 8-0 with an impressive road win over the weekend.

The Eastern rugby team blew out the Iowa State Cyclones in their final road game of the season by a score of 50-22.

The Panthers and Cyclones met on the rugby pitch over the weekend and played two different halves.

The Panthers and Cyclones played a competitive first half full of botched scoring opportunities and defensive miscues that left the game at 12-12 at the half.

Eastern had a number of defensive breakdowns during the first half that allowed the Cyclones to hang around.

Following the break, the Panthers looked like a new team as junior center Lauren Doyle had an offensive explosion in the second half.

Doyle led the way for the Panthers as she tallied four trys, dished out three assists and converted on 5-of-8 two-point conversion attempts to cap off the best performance of her career.

“Lauren (Doyle) had a big day leading the way with four trys, three assists and five runs over 20 yards,” head coach Frank Graziano said. “She was able to set our attacking pattern with her runs in the middle of the Cyclone defense.”

With Doyle leading the way, the Panthers erupted for 38 second-half points en route to the 50-22 win.

With the win, the Panthers have now started the season 8-0 for the third time in the last four years.

The Panthers will be back in action this weekend when they return to Lakeside Field for the finale of the three-game season series against the Quinnipiac Bobcats. Eastern will look to cap off the series sweep with a convincing win over the NCAA newcomers. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. Sunday.

Around the NCAA

In other rugby action, the Bowdoin Polar Bears’ dreams of recording a perfect season were crushed by the Rhode Island Rams.

The Polar Bears suffered their first loss of the season in the second round of the New England Rugby Football Union Championships. The Polar Bears lost 22-12.

The Norwich Cadets were also in action over the weekend and they recorded an impressive win against the U.S. Coast Guard. The Cadets beat up on the Coast Guard by a score of 41-0 in the NERFU Semifinals.

The Quinnipiac Bobcats and the West Chester Golden Rams each had the week off and will both be back in action this weekend.

Jordan Pottorff can be reached at 581-7942 or jbpottorff@eiu.edu.