Two conferences are represented in the Northeast region of the USA Rugby Women’s DI College Fall Championship, hosted by ACRA, Round of 16. The Northeast conference sent its first-, second- and fourth-place teams: Norwich, American International College (AIC) and UCONN, respectively. The Ivy League is represented by conference finalist Dartmouth.

NORWICH is the reigning ACRA champion, and during its 9-1 season, the Cadets have shown that they’re as clinical as ever. But what of the team’s one loss? That came against USA Rugby DI champion Penn State, 43-27, one in which Norwich led during the second half. The Cadets are hungry for a rematch, but Norwich has some work to do before it starts thinking about the title.

Norwich is led by very fit, opportunistic captains Emily Oor and Vanessa Champagne (who are also both Canadian). Up front, Val McGuire, Riley Blankenship, Sophie Mundell – they’re all so influential in the forwards – but it’s freshman Ilona Maher who’s made the biggest splash. A High School All American, the 5’10” prop is incredibly strong through contact and unstoppable from a few meters off the try line. (If you watch the games in person, you'll recognize her by the pink scrumcap.)

The same can be said for a few freshman back-three, who complement veterans Hannah Bell at flyhalf, and centers Ally Day and Emily Colesworthy. Alanna Giradin, Frankie Sands and Denisse Zambon are all fantastic finishers and reliable on defense.

UCONN has the unfortunate task of initiating Norwich’s national playoff run. While the Huskies dominated Tier 2 of the Northeast conference, it did not fare well against the top tier. Two losses to Army – the most recent 41-14 defeat occurring last weekend – indicate that UCONN isn’t quite ready for the Round of 16. With that said, Connecticut has nothing to lose, and the bracket is grateful that the Northeast #4 was able to fill the vacancy left by Harvard, which dropped out of the competition after the brackets were first posted.

On the other side of the bracket, Dartmouth and AIC prepare to open up their playoffs against each other. In terms of comparing relative strength, the teams do have one opponent in common: Norwich. The Big Green played the Cadets during pre-season and lost 74-10. The Yellow Jackets played Norwich three times, the most recent ending in a 43-29 decision. This last game is the one worth discussing.

AIC has been wrought with change the past six months, failing to replace its head and assistant coaches until after the fall season began, and coping with an exodus of scholarship players. That instability showed itself early in the season. But then Dmitri Efthimiou and Laura Carney joined as coaches, implemented some structure, and began to direct the Yellow Jackets back in the right direction.

The coaching staff still has a dedicated group of players, although depth is an issue. Eagle prop Jess Davis is still wearing black and yellow, and is the most influential force and try-scorer on the team. Junior All American flanker Gio Cruz is so impressive in the breakdown and a devout worker, while mainstays like captain Muneera Patton and Domonique Cammock anchor a tough squad that isn’t easily subdued. Norwich discovered as much during the team’s third meeting in the Northeast championship. Although Norwich coach Austin Hall explained that he worked in his reserves after a comfortable lead had been established, he also credited the Massachusetts team with improvement. Efthimiou admitted that his roster had altered.

“We made a few changes due to the unfortunate amount of injuries as well as the loss of a few players, which I believe made the team stronger,” Efthimiou explained. “I really look forward to facing Norwich again, as they are a very respectable program with lots of depth and talent.

“I am as comfortable and as nervous as any other coach there,” Efthimiou continued. “We all want to see our teams succeed at the things we work on during the week, but it will come down to the side that makes the least amount of errors over weekend.”

DARTMOUTH has had a mixed season despite finishing second in the Ivy League. The New Hampshire team looked as if it was a title contender when it opened its season with a 62-3 win over Princeton, but then a 43-7 loss to Brown and 10-5 heartbreaker to Harvard indicated otherwise. Dartmouth saw Princeton in the Ivy semis, winning 15-0, before falling to eventual champion Brown 42-5.

Look for senior fullback Diana Wise to pressure AIC’s defense as the leading try-scorer on the team. She connects nicely with senior flyhalf Peety Kaur, who directs the backline well. She’s got good talent outside her, with sophomore center Audrey Perez and junior wing Kerry Anne Conlin accounting for lots of try-scoring. And Leandra Barrett, who steps in at No. 8 or center, is another senior looking to lead the Big Green to victory on Saturday.

So for Sunday, we’re expecting these match-ups: Norwich vs. AIC in the quarterfinals, and UCONN vs. Dartmouth in the consolation round. For the entire brackets and related previews, click here.