Notre Dame College ran away with the Women’s DII College National Championship, defeating UC Riverside 69-10 at Kennesaw State, Ga. It is the Falcons’ first USA Rugby 15s title, and it comes as the varsity team prepares for the leap to DI next season.

The Falcons forwards were the difference-maker in the outcome, and, as the adage goes, the backs decided the point differential. Hard-driving forwards like Najya Jordan, Leslie Velez, Charity Edwards, Patsy Ford, and Shania Young were unrelenting in tight, requiring multiple defenders to halt their progress. Sometimes Notre Dame stayed on its feet too long, which allowed Riverside to hold up the ball and turnover possession. It would have been a good strategy if the Falcons weren’t so dominant in the scrum, and Riverside became constantly frustrated in its stolen put-ins.

The SoCal side kept trying to slow down the ball, but the team might have had more success if it followed the lead of No. 8 Tishani Fiinnikin, who was tirelessly planting Falcons to the ground in one decisive swoop. But Notre Dame still turned over rucks, stole lineout mauls, and generally controlled play.

There was a little more parity in the backs, and Riverside’s two second-half tries came through an outside attack that needed more ball in hand. For Notre Dame, halfbacks Karmin Macedo and Leah Walsh knew when to distribute and when to strike, and both were good about exploiting gaps around the breakdown. The pair linked up for a late try, when Macedo, who had moved to wing in the second half, scooped up an errant pass, raced to the try line, and as the cover defense converged, smartly offloaded to the flyhalf in quick support.

Walsh scored three tries on the day and set up even more, including the game-opener. Six minutes in, the #10 opened up a seam for freshman fullback Emilia Ferrara, who darted back inside beneath the posts. The center pairing of Danielle Walko-Siua and Hannah Gauthreaux did a good job of keeping the ball alive and taking advantage of broken defenses. Siua relied on her show-stopping side-step for a second-half try, while Gauthreaux legged out two scores. The outside center led the team with 24 points on two tries and seven conversions.

Riverside had a nice triangle between centers Lisa Umeh, Domonique Bellinger, and fullback Michelle Hong, who despite the score, made some great tackles in the open field. The team’s two tries evolved after penalties kept Riverside inside Notre Dame’s 22, and the trio ganged up on the wing. Hong made an excellent insert for the first try, while Domonique Stewart-Thomas slipped down the sideline for the second.

The Falcons took a 36-0 lead into the first half, as Ferrara, Jordan, Gauthreaux (2), Young, and Walsh all dotted down. Riverside played an inspired third quarter, going 17-10 against Notre Dame College, but superior fitness and some key positional changes – including the fresh legs of Jianna McCullough, who scored the game-ender – saw five more tries and four conversions join the scoreboard.

USA Rugby named Gauthreaux the MVP, and the center did have a solid day. But we're inclined to recognize the forwards, who dominated set pieces and overworked the defense, which provided the backs ample opportunity to work their magic. Our pick for MVP is prop Najya Jordan, who was as powerful as anyone on the pitch when moving north-south, but kept stressing the defense late in the match with some great lateral movement.

It was a frenzied road for UC Riverside, which outperformed its wildest expectations when it qualified for the national final, and hopefully today’s experience will incentivize the team’s growth going forward. For Notre Dame College, this win was a long time coming, and a great way to seal its DII career.

Notre Dame College 69
Tries: Walsh (3), Gauthreaux (2), Ferrara (2), Velez, Young, Walko-Siua, McCullough
Cons: Gauthreaux (7)

UC Riverside 10
Tries: Hong, Stewart-Thomas