Until the final play of the game, it appeared that Virginia Women’s Rugby (UVA) had orchestrated an impressive upset over Central Washington during the Women's College 7s Championship semifinals. But the Wildcats used their final play of the game to tie it up, and then the ever-dependable Cassidy Meyers converted her try for the 12-10 win. The victory sets up a rematch of the DI 15s final, which occurred two weekends ago against Penn State. The Nittany Lions defeated Princeton 26-7 in its semifinal to advance to the title match.

UVA suffered two major heartbreaks – one at the buzzer, and one early in the game. Summer Harris-Jones flexed her muscle down the sideline and was in the try zone, but so was Rosa Pena, who worked hard in the chase. The diligence paid off, as Harris-Jones attempted to center the ball, but Pena pressured a knock-on before the grounding. Zoe Schmitt was in support, too, but she couldn’t control the ball in the try zone as it rolled to her.

UVA did make good on the territory, however, and captain Bri Kim tapped through a penalty inside CWU’s 10 meter. The defense sat and waited for the All American, and she needed little more than her momentum to carry her into the corner, 5-0, with about two minutes remaining in the half.

Central Washington flashed its colors during the next series, as Asinate Serevi, Mele Halahuni, and Meyers strung together some high-pace offloads for a quick return into UVA’s end. The finishing pass from Serevi to Meyers went forward – barely. A couple of iterations later, the Wildcats sent a midfield scrum to Serevi, who pierced two defenders before sending the overhead pass to Queen Fina Toetu’u. The scrumhalf bounced off two UVA players in-goal to get closer to the center, but the game went 5-all into the break.

Fatigue started to set in during the second half, but Meyers was still pushing her squad. Halahuni cleaned up a missed pass on the sideline and then hit the flyhalf back inside for a long breakaway. Meyers was brought down near the 10 meter, but she had zero support, while UVA swarmed the ruck and drew the penalty.

Kim’s boot continued to relieve pressure, and Jones-Harris’ line-piercing got the team back to midfield, where Meyers planted a try-saving tackle. UVA then sustained a brilliant offensive series, as the ball worked through the entire team’s hands until CWU could spread no more. The finishing pass occurred out wide, as Fran Beller kept her feet through Pena until Jen Anderegg could sneak the handoff into the try zone, where she laid exhausted. It was a brilliant, determined campaign, and UVA was rewarded with the 10-5 lead with time for one more restart.

Central Washington drew a penalty to reset its offense deep in its end, and the final play all started with Meyers, who skirted through a flat defensive line – one that probably thought it had already won the game – for a breakaway try. She then converted her own score for the two-point win.

Penn State looked pretty crisp in its 26-7 win over Princeton, but the 15s champ was not invincible. Jochebed Muflam kept PSU honest, outpacing three defenders for Princeton’s lone try. But for the most part, Penn State controlled the game and limited its mistakes. Elizabeth Cairns sets up her teammates so well and looks most comfortable in the two-on-one. Meya Bizer scored two tries, but she’s also a great playmaker. Her smothering defense helped create the game’s first try, as Jessica Lu streaked across the field deep in Princeton’s end. Bizer flew up in the tackle, and Cairns was there for the poach and pass to Brie Barto, who danced into the try zone.

Katie Mueller also had a great game, showing off the speed and skill that won her the DI 15s MVP. Tess Feury is a great tool as well and rarely goes down on the first-up tackle. The final is poised to be a great game.

The Cup final occurs at 4:50 p.m. MDT.