NSCRO Semifinals Unsure What to Expect

11.20.2014 - Alex Goff

The National Small College Rugby Organization women’s final four is set to kick off Saturday in Cherry Hill, NJ with four teams that really aren’t sure how to feel about each other.

As often happens at this level, teams operate somewhat in a vacuum.

Roger Williams were virtually untouched in their demolition of teams in New England. They won their quarterfinal match 88-0. They have had a big season from sophomore No. 8 Sadia Crosby, who was player of the game against Wellesley and scored three tries. Junior center Evynne Gartner also scored three tries and Abbey Scro, the scrumhalf and captain, added two. RWU is a smart, well-coached team that had every reason to think their playoff games might be a step above. They weren’t.

The same was true for Sacred Heart. After losing a non-conference match to DII power Vassar at the beginning of the year, Sacred Heart blew through Fairfield, Drew, and Fordham to enter the playoffs. That’s where they defeated Fordham again, then Franklin Pierce, and finally St. Bonaventure. The smallest winning margin in any of those games was 29.

Minnesota-Moorhead also dominated. They won their division and faced fellow Minnesota team Carleton in the regional playoff. Carelton was undefeated. So was Moorhead. Moorhead won 73-0.

“We felt Carleton was actually a strong team, but when they got close to scoring we were able to hold them out,” said Moorhead club president and inside center Brandi Bucklin. “We did a good job of keeping possession and our scrum is very strong. And the whole team is scrappy defensively.”

Only a couple of players on the Moorhead team had any rugby experience in high school, but their work ethic is solid and their forward unity, especially in the scrums, impressive. Led by flanker Sawyer Salter, with scrumhalf Breanna Bucklin, and No. 8 Elexa Byler coming back from injury, they are a ferocious unknown. However, Moorhead has been idle for a couple of weeks and has spent most of that training time indoors out of the snow. They haven’t done much contact work but, said Ducklin, “we are working on perfecting the things we can.”

And finally there’s Mount St. Mary’s, coached by Scott Stratten, who took Shippensburg to the top of DII a few years ago. Stratton vocalizes the worry every team has in this final four.

“It’s tough to tell where we stand,” Stratton told Goff Rugby Report. “You really don’t know what you have until you get there. We’ve played some good teams and we know we have some depth. Our toughest games were against Albright and we really rose to the occasion then.”

Mt. St. Mary’s has a mobile pack, and perhaps 16 players who could start in it. They are helped by three players formerly of the West Carroll HS program. Tiffany Buckley, Liz Gamble, and Rachel Horner know how the game ebbs and flows, and the newer players just follow those three. Meanwhile, in the backline Nicole Ciccarelli is from the West Shore United program and is a dynamic flyhalf who can control the attack.

Stratton said this is possibly the fastest team he has ever coached, and he also praised the school’s administration for their support - organizing travel, and opening the soccer field so the team could practice under the lights.

“The pieces,” said Stratton, who heads up a capable and large coaching staff, “seem to have fallen together.”

The NSCRO Women's National Semifinals are as follows:

Moorhead takes on Roger Williams at Cherry Hill at noon ET

Sacred Heart faces Mount St. Mary's at 2pm

3rd-place game is Sunday, Nov 23 at 11am.

The championship game kicks off at 1pm.

Games will be live streamed at www.nscro.org

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