The Crimson Proves Itself as the Apex Predator in 36-5 Win Over Lindenwood Lions

Harvard women’s rugby (5-0) dominated the Lindenwood Lions (5-2) 36-5 on Saturday afternoon, continuing its undefeated season and extending its 15s win streak to 18 straight games.

The Crimson entered the match coming off a strong performance against Navy, where it won on its Senior Day with a score of 53-26.

The game against Lindenwood marked a rematch of the 2025 NIRA finals, in which Harvard beat the Lions 22-19, and allowed the Crimson to avenge its 15-10 overtime loss to them in the 2025 CRAA 7s National Championship semifinals.

After a slow start in an aggressive first half, with multiple stoppages for injury and Harvard players cited for yellow cards, the Crimson ran away with it in the second half, earning 26 points on four tries until the last minute.

The scoring opened after an intense 12 minutes, with the Lions’ freshman Allison Honeycutt being pushed through the try line after a penalty kick brought them to Harvard’s 22-meter line.

The Crimson responded less than four minutes later, despite being down a player after a yellow card on freshman Jayelle Jones, with a try from sophomore Morgan Gibson off a pass from sophomore Sana’a Lunon. A missed kick kept the score tied at 5-5, making minute 15 the last time Harvard trailed.

Both teams traded penalties and possessions through the rest of the first half, and neither was able to convert on offense.

The Crimson was dished its second yellow card of the night with a penalty around minute 30 on freshman Lolua Tauanu’u for flipping a Lion over on a tackle. Luckily for fans of the reigning national championship team, Harvard remained unfazed by the call. In fact, with five minutes left in the first half, junior Dana Greer scored to make it 10-5, securing the Crimson’s second try while down a player.

Harvard began the second half by powering through a sluggish Lindenwood defensive line and moving the ball to the try line through a series of strong pushes downfield.

Despite its impressive offensive surge, the Crimson did not score, as its movement over the line was determined to be a double movement. As a result, the Lions were rewarded with a penalty.

The hosts couldn’t make use of the penalty, though, as Harvard nabbed the ball on the lineout and, after trading possessions, used a scrum to send Lunon flying down the field with the ball.

After some hotly contested pushes forward just before the Lindenwood tryline, Tauanu’u scored the Crimson’s first points of the second half 10 minutes in. Sophomore Evie Eyers converted on the ensuing drop kick to extend the lead to 17-5.

Mere minutes later, Harvard earned a penalty, setting up a lineout 15 meters from the Lions’ tryline. The Crimson chose to play, and junior Josephine Mignone raced through Lindenwood’s defensive line to earn the second try of the half. Eyers tallied another successful conversion to bring the score to 24-5.

Despite being the visiting team, cheers for Harvard could be heard throughout the rest of the game, as it held off various Lindenwood forays, flipping the field to bring the ball mere meters away from the Lions’ try line on a series of strong carries.

Lunon finally got it across the mark, and another kick from Eyers extended the Crimson’s advantage to 26 points with only 15 minutes left in the game.

Lindenwood could do nothing but play for pride as the clock ticked down, unable to capitalize on its possessions.

A penalty advantage for Harvard enabled junior Eseta Pale to score the final points with only a minute left, sealing the dominant 36-5 win.

Harvard remains undefeated and will now shift its sights to its final regular-season game against American International College. The two teams will clash next week at 7 p.m. under Friday night lights in Springfield, Mass. The team will then prepare itself for the subsequent NIRA playoffs, where it will seek to claim its fourth consecutive national title.