College Women

Bowdoin, Rutgers, Marist Win Big in NE

The Northeast region of the USA Rugby Women's DII College Fall Championship, hosted by ACRA, didn’t sort out it until today, as Bowdoin and Colorado College played the final Round of 32 game of the weekend. The visitors had to wait until the final five minutes of the game before putting any points on the board, while the Polar Bears ran in nine tries for the 51-5 win.

Charlotte Kleiman’s line-piercing runs put Bowdoin into good field position and saw Randi London, Pamela Zabala and first-year prop Vianney Gomezgil-Yaspik dot down twice apiece. Hayleigh Kein added the final five-pointer of the first half, and London’s three conversions gave Bowdoin a 36-0 lead at the break.

Midwest, Mid-Atlantic R32 Review

The Midwest and Mid-Atlantic brackets have named their Round of 16 representatives for the USA Rugby Women's DII College Fall Championships, hosted by ACRA. The West and Northeast regions have one more game to decide, and we'll update once those results come across.

MIDWEST
Notre Dame College walloped UW Stout 121-0, and Davenport nearly matched the point tally in its 111-0 win over Illinois State. Both teams were expected to win their respective Round of 32 games, but by 100-plus margins are impressive. Clearly both teams have high-powered offenses, and when the duo faces each other next Saturday, it’s the defenses that will have to show up.

Mankato Forwards Deliver R32 Win

A punch-up was predicted between Mankato State and UW Steven’s Point, as the two Midwestern teams fought for a spot in the USA Rugby Women’s DII College Fall Championship, hosted by ACRA, Round of 16. The Mavericks held onto a tenuous three-point lead at half, and then held UWSP scoreless while piling on three second-half tries for the 32-14 victory.

“Our forwards controlled the breakdown, keeping Stevens Point from moving the ball to their back line, which is where we knew their strength was,” Mankato State coach Vicky Hildago said.

Hammering away at the defense, the space began to open up, and outside center Kanke Tongrit-Green was happy to make good on the ample possession - twice. Two tries in 10 minutes gave the Mavericks a 10-0 lead, and there the scoreline sat for the next 15 minutes while the teams duked it out at midfield.

Ithaca 49 Pts Better Than Denison

DII R32: Bowdoin, Rutgers Top Northeast

One half of the USA Rugby Women DII College's Fall Championship, hosted by ACRA, Northeast bracket is straightforward: Bowdoin College hosts Colorado College; Rutgers hosts St. Michael’s. The victors of this weekend’s matches will play each other at the Round of 16 in Hanover, N.H. We’re expecting next weekend’s game to be between Bowdoin and Rutgers.

Mankato v UWSP Highlights West Bracket

The West bracket of the USA Rugby Women’s DII College Fall Championship has already named two teams to its Round of 16, making this weekend’s Round of 32 a quieter one comparatively. Winona and Utah Valley have already booked their tickets to Northern Iowa on Nov. 15-16 for the next round of national playoffs.

The game of the weekend is between UW Steven’s Point and Mankato State, the only true Round of 32 match occurring in this bracket. UW Steven’s Point ended its undefeated regular season atop the Great Waters North Division, averaging 58 points per match. The team lined up against South Division champ UW Whitewater, also undefeated, in the conference championship last weekend and took home an impressive 92-5 victory.

DII R32: Midwest Bracket Preview

The Midwest bracket of the USA Rugby Women's DII College Fall Championship, hosted by ACRA, is the only region that is contesting all four Round of 32 matches on Saturday - that is, no conference championships count as Round of 32 games. Notre Dame College is the heavy favorite to advance to the Final Four in Florida, but here's a preview of what you can expect on Saturday:

DII R32: Mid-Atlantic Bracket Preview

This weekend marks the opening weekend of the USA Rugby Women’s DII College Fall Championship, hosted by ACRA, and games will be contested in one of four regional brackets. In three of those brackets, a conference championship is serving as a Round of 32 match, meaning the victor moves onto the Round of 16. The Mid-Atlantic region, however, has put a slight spin on the bye procedure.

The Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conference (MARC) is contesting its league championship this Saturday, and both finalists, Kutztown and Bloomsburg, are guaranteed spots in the Round of 16. It’s not actually a big deal, as the MARC certainly deserves two seeds in the national tournament – whether they both deserve automatic bids into the top 16 is another question.

Colgate, UVM More Balanced for Playoffs

Colgate and Vermont are poised to meet each other in the first round of the USA Rugby Women DII College Fall Championship, hosted by ACRA. The teams contrast with each other – and that will become apparent on Saturday as they indulge different playing styles – but also share a similar story in terms of the new teams they’ve crafted this fall.

Both sides have enjoyed varying levels of success, and previous to this season, it was a core of very experienced seniors who carried the teams. When those players graduated last spring, both squads embraced change and looked to disperse responsibility more evenly throughout the roster.

Stonehill Ready for Round of 32

Stonehill and St. Michael’s have been trading blows for the Rugby Northeast title the last few years, but neither has claimed the title with an unblemished record. That changed this fall, and en route to its second league trophy, the Stonehill women broke a number of conference and school records.

Stonehill played its final regular season (7-0) match last weekend against Bryant, and during the 70-0 victory, set a new RNE scoring record (504 points) and point differential (480). When including friendlies, Stonehill went 626-41 over nine games, shattering the previous school record of 465 points scored in 2005-06.

No Hesitation in CO College's Playoff Extension

You’ve got to hand it to the women’s college sector of the Rocky Mountain conference. The league is challenged at best, with its seven teams hailing from Idaho, Utah, Colorado and Wyoming, and putting some opponents 12-plus hours away from each other. The leadership continually wrestles with the most accommodating solutions, a process that is always hampered by weather and inconsistent participation. The conference held its championship last weekend, but it was preceded by an imperfect path.

Sacred Heart Women Go Varsity

The sport of women’s rugby has been elevated to varsity status at Sacred Heart University, as announced Wednesday by Executive Director of Athletics Bobby Valentine. The program will begin varsity competition in the Fall of 2015 and becomes the 32nd Division I varsity sport sponsored by the Pioneers.

“I am pleased to announce the elevation of women’s rugby to varsity status at Sacred Heart University,” said Valentine. “This will provide numerous additional opportunities for female student-athletes to experience competition at the Division I level. I could not be more excited for this new chapter in Pioneer athletics.”

NSCRO Women's Playoff Picture

Bowdoin Surrenders 5 Pts All Season

Bowdoin College just missed out on last year's ACRA women's DII final four, when the team dropped a 10-point game to Kutztown in the quarterfinals. In 2014, the Polar Bears have shown no sign of sulking and outscored opponents 556-5. Last weekend, Bowdoin wrapped up its New England Small College season with a third consecutive title, defeating fellow finalist Tufts 44-0. 

Three minutes in and Bowdoin was five points up, thanks to outside center Samantha Hoegle, who looped the line and won the race to the corner for the first of her two tries. No. 8 Randi London followed, picking from a scrum deep in Tufts' end. The loose forward barreled her way through would-be tacklers and into the try zone for the 10-0 lead.

Women DII College Top 20 - Nov. 4, 2014

Conference titles are being decided and byes into the USA Rugby Women's DII College Fall Championship, hosted by ACRA, are being awarded, so it's time for an update to the Top 20 rankings.

With the Round of 32 poised for this weekend (see brackets), we can't help but regret some match-ups that will occur too early in the tournament. The prime example is Notre Dame College and Davenport. The Falcons overtook Winona in the previous ranking, and Davenport leapt two spots into fourth. The duo are competing in the Midwest Region and will likely play in the Round of 16. The only salvation is that it should be a good game.