These games energized those teams to push for more. Seeding would be decided through record and points difference, so big scored were crucia. As it was, the rest of the bracket was pretty tenacious. Harvard was able to win big against Davenport, but the Panthers made Life work for it.
Princeton was down 17-0 to Army and stormed back to make it 17-10 before West Point pulled away. Games were like that.
In the end, Harvard emerged the top seed, followed by Army and Dartmouth. Lindenwood was the highest-seeded 1-1 team, followed by Sacred Heart and then Life at #6.
The quarterfinals, then, produced some predictable results. Led by Tiahna Padilla's leadership and an excellent combination of speedy finishers, Harvard cruised past Mount St. Mary's to make the semis.
Army got a rematch against Princeton and stormed out to a 21-0 lead at halftime. They couldn't add to that score, but their defense held Princeton scoreless, too. Cece Ollis was outstanding for Army, showcasing power and a massive work rate. Elie Kearney owned the point of contact, and Alissa Eisenhart was a smart playmaker, elusive in contact, and kicked superbly.
Lindenwood played SHU in a clash of two 1-1 teams Amy Brice took over, bursting through the middle to score a key try. With Makenna Bailey playing playmaker and with an excellent try from Tanaka Kanyepi after a restart error by SHU, Lindenwood came back to win.
And, finally, there was #6 life vs #3 Dartmouth. Life's defense came alive. Lissa Salisbury was a powerful presence and she scored a key try. Liberty Benitez and Nina Mason combined nicely to set up their teammates, and Life's power forced Dartmouth into repeated penalties. The game ended with Dartmouth down to five players due to cards, and Life won 24-12.
The level of play among these teams was something to behold. All were tactically aware, played varying styles, and had skill. Some aspects of play suffered from how hard everyone hard to work—only three games on the day, but three of the toughest they would play all season—but overall, this was a special day of rugby 7s.
Sunday will see Harvard play Lindenwood and Army play Life with a shot at what promises to be a thrilling final.
