CSU Northridge is 10 years more mature after its experience at the DII West regional championship. The Southern California champ won its two playoff games by a combined 13 points, beating UN Reno 41-32 in overtime Saturday (read more) and a hungry Humboldt 36-32 yesterday.

“We were just so amped that we were able to push it to the side. But we feel it now,” CSU Northridge outside center Katie Kargari said of the body fatigue leading into Sunday’s game. “Yesterday [Saturday] was the longest rugby game we’ve ever played, but we trained all year for this. We supported each other and had a lot of rookies step up. It was a collaborative effort; no one person shined.”

But the spotlight did settle on a couple of players. In the opening minutes of Sunday’s game, wing Jasmine Mims turned the corner, showcased her speed, and dotted down the first try. The rookie earned the start after scoring four tries against UN Reno, and helped fill the gap left by the injured Gillian Chance. With the longtime flyhalf sidelined, Yesenia Camacho – an excellent open-field tackler and shifty ballcarrier – took over the halfback position, and Kargari slid from wing to outside center. But the combination worked well.

“My teammates made it an easy transition for me,” Kargari said of the position swap. “Jasmine stepped up. She was always on my outside there for support. It would have been a completely different experience if she wasn’t there.”

After Mims’ opening try, Northridge started racking up penalties, and Humboldt was eager to take advantage. Wing Lila Bell slotted a three-pointer for Humboldt and lined up a second not long after. Slightly off center and about 15 meters out, Bell missed the kick. Humboldt applied quick pressure to the live ball, and Northridge’s clearing kick ricocheted off of the posts into Humboldt’s possession. A couple of punches later, what should have been three points turned into seven with the converted try, 10-7 to Humboldt.

The teams traded tries, as Northridge lock Marlea Parker finished off a series of sideline-to-sideline phases in the try zone. And Bell scored after inside center Meredith Conrad-Forrest – who also jumped in the lineout, took restarts, and was the hinge around which the backline operated – took a half-gap and offloaded to the wing.

“We needed our defensive wall to be strong because Humboldt has some strong legs that can push through,” Kargari said of players like Libby Treu and Krista Miller. “We knew they like to pick off the sides of the rucks, knew that if we drifted they’d have the holes. They use their size to their advantage, so we had to be all together on that. We like to take it out wide, which worked in our advantage.”

Northridge scored the next three tries through Parker, Kargari, and prop Ciarra Waters-Mullen to go up 29-15. Humboldt ended the half with momentum in its corner, as some good forward punching allowed Cat Leon to dot down, 29-22 into the break.

At the end of the third quarter, Humboldt fullback Jordan Ludtke – who made several try-saving tackles on the day – pulled her side to within two points, 29-27, when she scored. Northridge restored some cushion with another try, 36-27, and as the game wore down, both sides starting incurring yellow cards. It had been a long, tough game, but Humboldt had a little left for a centered try with minutes remaining. Perhaps Bell rushed through the extra-points attempt because she wanted to restart play quickly, but the kicker missed the dead-center conversion. It was important because now Humboldt trailed by four points – 36-32 – a deficit that necessitated another try, instead of a penalty kick to win.

Either way, the game ended shortly afterward, and Northridge celebrated a brutal weekend with two wins.

“It always seems to come down to Humboldt, so we look forward to them in a sense,” Kargari said. “We like to say it’s a rivalry, but it’s friendly. Everything’s left on the field; there’s no negativity.”

Northridge will play Florida International in the DII semifinals, which occur April 24-25 in Pittsburgh. The victor will play the winner of Salisbury vs. UC Riverside in the spring final, and the spring champion will play fall champion Notre Dame College on May 9.