CRAA D1 Women Playoffs Enter Key Weekend
CRAA D1 Women Playoffs Enter Key Weekend
This is a huge weekend in women’s D1 rugby as the eight teams make the playoffs.
As much as everyone likes to avoid two-game weekend, this will be … a two-game weekend. Friday will be the quarterfinals and Sunday will see the semifinals—everything held in Tempe, Ariz.
What this does is cut down on travel, especially with three Arizona teams in the playoffs. The final will be held April 19 at Stanford, along with the D1A women’s final.
Stanford goes into this playoff on a roll. The Cardinal are the defending CRAA D1 champs and are coming off the Pacific Mountain finals in which they beat Western Washington 79-0 to win the conference. In that game, Stanford got tries from Ahmyah Hicks, Cara Feit, Sydney Davis (2), Laura Bocek (2), Dominique Ruedaflores (2), Kirsten Lees (3), Jacqueline McLean, and Emily Capstick.
Bocek has been a constant scoring threat throughout the season while Lees at No. 8 is really the player who gets them across the gain line. Whether on the eightman pick or working off passes up the middle, she has a good fend and is always looking for her support. Bocek is also a very good goalkicker, while speedster Journey WashingtonHigh is one to watch.
This is a team that harkens to the championship Stanford teams of old—athletic, unified, and not afraid to use their skills.
And don’t forget their defense.
Stanford takes on an Arizona team that has been steadily improving.
“Each year we are steadily improving in our efforts against tough teams like Claremont,” said Head Coach Tatum Quimby, referring to the team they lost to in the conference playoffs. “Qualifying for playoffs is such a rewarding experience after all of the work that this team has put in. We've spent the last few years making small steps forward as we work to establish ourselves as a competitive force in the conference. That was largely driven by our extraordinary student leadership, both on and off the field.”
The only team that has even come close to Stanford has been Cal, which dropped a 36-19 decision to the Cardinal back in February. That seemed to be a good lessons for the Bears as they put up 125 a week later.
Like with Stanford, Cal has had to worry about playing at a higher level than many of their conference opponents, and thus has had to worry about letting standard slip.
The Bears took 3rd in the Pacific Mountain with a 47-7 dismissal of Oregon, paced by try-scoring center and co-captain Eve Mangi, who touched down three times in that game. With Maya Narang, Brooke Soldano, Lorie Martinez, and Grace Talty also touching down the Bears know how to take over a game.
Cal takes on Grand Canyon, one of the favorites.
“It’s dangerous to be thought of as one of the favorites,” said GCU Head Coach Lindsey Mahoney. “We know the bracket we’re in is challenging. Last year we beat Cal by only four points; Cal has always given us tough games. We’re not even thinking about Sunday because we know we have to win on Friday.”
Mahoney said her team, which lost to Stanford in the final last year, is more humble this time around. They are also, she added, smarter rugby players.
“Our rugby IQ had exploded,” she told GRR. “The girls are just good decision-makers. We’re playing fact, we’re using our edges the way I want them used, and the girls are just problem solvers.”
Lauren Campbell, lock and 8x8 Player of the Month for Women’s D1, is a try-scorer and an outstanding team leader who is also not afraid to get stuck-in.
She’s not the only weapon, as prop Angelique Schrock can hurt you in tight and outside center Angel Lucero is also a danger.
On the same side of the bracket as GCU and Cal is Claremont Colleges and Air Force. Claremont has won championships in D2 and they know how to pass and move the ball, especially on turnover ball. Alex Meecham is a powerhouse at flyhalf, scoring four tries in their last game, against Arizona but the Foxes will be smarting after losses to UCSD and GCU earlier in the season.
Air Force pushes Penn State last December. Photo Calder Cahill USA Rugby.
For their part, Air Force played their independent season in the fall. With nearby teams pivoting to 7s in the spring Air Force has instead had to work hard within themselves. They have found some verbal touchstones to focus on developing and preparing for the playoffs without any games.
Games against Navy, BYU, and Penn State all were AFA punching above their weight, and all were valuable lessons in the fall. Since then they've had to find training opportunities when they can in the snow, and work enormously hard without a ton of game time.
With a solid tight five (something they haven’t always had as the team usually lacks size) the Falcons have enormous potential. They’ll just have take off fast.
And opposite Stanford-vs-Arizona is Arizona State vs Western Washington. WWU had talent but were certainly humbled against Stanford in the conference final. They can operate in the open field, but they need to ramp up the defense. ASU gets tries and go-forward from their midfield pairing of Naomi Stietzel and Riko Takayoshi.
