Army Wins Key One, and More from NIRA

And perhaps te most consequential game was Army vs Quinnipiac in a meeting of the two longest-tenured head coaches in NIRA in Bill LeClerc and Becky Carlson.

It turned into a squeaker.

"It was a squeaker alright," said LeClerc. "We got two converted tries and they got two non-converted tries. You have the power rankings and they're pretty accurate. There's not that much different between third, fourth, and fifth."

Chloe De Leon and hard-hitting center Yesenia Morales scored tries for Army, both in the first half and both converted by Alissa Eisenhart. Lily Morris and Lavia Cox scored for Quinnipiac, but Army held on for the final 20 minutes to win it 14-10.

"Anna van Dyk caused all sorts of hell for us in the lineouts," said LeClerc. "For the last 20 minutes they just needed a try, didn't even need a converted try, to win it. They're a really good program. Any team that draws with Harvard and Brown is here for a reason. We played territory fairly well—we spent more time in their half than in ours, and the idea is, make them beat you from 80 meters as opposed to from 20."

Quinnipiac is a tough place play and this was a huge win for Army.

"Everyone knew it was going to be hard and everyone knew there was a lot at stake," added LeClerc. "It was a hard game and it was pretty quiet on the bus back."

With the win Army likely moves past Quinnipiac into 3rd in the NIRA D-I power rankings. The wins by Brown and Sacred Heart likely move them close to 4th.