Kennesaw State has earned the right to face Davenport in the women's DII championship final.
KSU, defeated their southern rivals Tulane (who won the DII spring in 2016), 21-15. On Saturday, Kennesaw State defeated UC Irvine 34-10. Center Caitlane Fricia scored an early try but those two teams were basically deadlocked until into the second half. Irvine made it 7-5 eight minutes into the second half with a try from wing Leanne Nguyen, and then took a 10-7 lead when fullback Elona Williams raced in.
But the final 20 minutes belonged to Kennesaw State, as Fricia scored twice for a 19-10 KSU lead. Flyhalf Amanada Lam, forward Jordan Maxwell, and Amanda Thaler capped it off, but it was Fricia who blew the game open.
Tulane edged Grand Canyon 22-20. In a back-and-forth game it wasn't until midway through the first half that anyone scores. Lock Clare Sullivan scored for a 7-0 Tulane lead (with Tristan Peronard's conversion). GCU center Daeanera Tuaua answered with a try and the game remained 7-5 until the second half, when GCU forward Amber Perryman powered over to put the 'Lopes up 10-7. Sullivan scored her second (converted by Peronard) to put Tulane back up 14-10. Prop Jaime Massey scored for GCU to put the Antelopes ahead once more.
With 11 minutes to go Tulane retook the lead with Peronard's penalty goal - 17-15. GCU took it back, with Perryman scoring her second. With time winding down, scrumhalf Gwendolyn Leifer scampered over to win the game 22-20.
It was a thriller for sure, and both teams now had to regroup and play the next day. Once again, this was a tight one. Tulane started strong. No. 8 Lily Wissinger went over in the 9th minute, and that 7-0 lead held until midway through the first half. Then Wissinger scored again and Tulane led 12-0. Just before halftime scrumhalf Akilah Guzman went over for KSU, and Natalie Walker converted.
The score remained 12-7 for the next 20 minutes, when Guzman went over. Walker converted to put Kennesaw State in the lead 14-12. Peronard kicked yet another clutch penalty for Tulane to put her side up 15-14. And that set up for the heroics, and it was Fricia, kept off the scoreboard until the end. The center's try, and Walker's conversion, made it 21-15 KSU, and that's how it ended.
Now the expectation is that Kennesaw State will face Davenport, the fall DII champion, for the all-season DII championship. It shouldn't be too hard, as KSU is right next to Atlanta, Ga., and the final is at Life University in Marietta, Ga.
