It was a thoroughly intriguing evening of Men’s D2 playoff action Friday as NCR’s D2 Round of 16 produced some surprises, and unveiled some breakout teams.
Here’s how it went down (all rankings listed are GRR rankings):
UNC-Wilmington (#1) 50-7 Salisbury (#8)
Memphis (#9) 39-38 Coastal Carolina (#27)
While the top-ranked UNCW side showed why they are ranked #1, Memphis had all sorts of trouble with the other Southern Conference playoff team. The Tigers took a lead, saw Coastal storm back, and then, wisely took points on a penalty late to lead by eight points. They needed it as Coastal, playing fast and with abandon, scored a converted try to come within a point.
Memphis was able to close it out from there but it wasn’t easy.
“Penalties really hurt us,” said Memphis Head Coach David Hill. Most of them were offside and high tackles both very avoidable. The result was a yellow card and a red card (which is being appealed) and the Tigers were a player down for half the game.
“Coastal Carolina hung tough and never got down on themselves when we went up by 19 in the first half,” said Hill “They are the best off-loading team we have played since Colorado-Mesa in 7s last year.
“We played some smart rugby late in the game to limit their opportunities with tactical play and good kicking.”
Harrison Hagan at No. 8 led everyone with two tries, but it was Brett Battle'slate penalty that sealed it for Memphis.
For UNC-Wilmington, flanker Max Buckingham continued his strong form with three tries. Center Daniel Marsh added 15 points with the boot.
Cornell (#7) 24-14 IUP (#2)
UVM (#3) 65-11 Villanova (#14)
Vermont, ranked #3, blew past a very capable Villanova team 65-11. The Catamounts are hugely physical and very experienced. Having put together a very good team that has experience together, they had another year to expand their game, notably with the boot.
All-everything lock Jack Worobel finished off his teammates good work with four tries to lead the Catamounts.
And in the other match in this bracket, Cornell produced something of an upset in beating two-time defending champs IUP. Despite the fact that IUP was ranked higher than Cornell, this was pegged as a possible win for Big Red.
“Our team is peaking at the perfect time,” said Cornell Head Coach David Burke. While Burke acknowledged IUP’s injuries and player turnover, he also gave a nod to his own team.
“IUP is a solid team and obviously this was the toughest match we had all season. It's hard to play against National Champions who know how to win.”
The key was patience and discipline. With IUP taking pride in their defense in tight, Cornell attacked those defending forwards, forcing them to work hard. The Crimson Hawks took an early lead, but Cornell didn’t panic.
Flyhalf Flynn Kelleher played perhaps his best game even at Cornell. His kicking was a key factor and he logged a nice 50-22 kick early in the game. He converted all three Cornell tries and added a crucial penalty goal.
Tighthead prop Tatenda Gonese was a punishing runner and scored twice. His front row partner Matthew Lane was a hard carrier, too.
“All the forwards were making hard tackles keeping IUP from gaining too much. The pressure from our forwards prevented their backs from getting clean ball and when they did, we stopped them,” said Burke.
Cornell, however, suffered some injuries in this game and will need that recovery day on Saturday.
