Five conferences are represented in the Northeast Region of the women’s DII college fall playoffs. This weekend’s Round of 32 will name four victors in this quarter of the bracket, and the quartet will head to the Round of 16 at Vassar College on Nov. 21-22. Below is a preview of the opening round’s games. Click here for previews on the Mid-Atlantic Region and Rocky Mountain Region.

(1) Maine - Orono (at-large) @ Bowdoin (New England Small College #1). The University of Maine - Orono (UMO) was added to the Round of 32 as an at-large team and will inaugurate its first-ever DII post-season against Bowdoin, the NESC’s only champion. The teams played each other during the regular season on Oct. 24, and although the Polar Bears won 36-0, it was the team’s toughest match of the fall. Bowdoin went 7-0 against NESC opponents and outscored them 368-10. The Brunswick, Maine, team has gone deep into the playoffs, and is favored to do so again behind the leadership of senior captain Emily King, Paige Pfannenstiel, Addison Carvajal, Anna Piotti, to name a few influential players.

(2) SUNY Geneseo (Upstate NY #2) @ Kutztown (Mid-Atlantic #2). Kutztown has been a final four team but a sobering 76-8 loss to Bloomsburg in the MARC championship last weekend exposed some weaknesses. The Pennsylvania team incurred injuries to some important players, and that deficit aided the drastic point differential, but coach Sean Cobb didn’t lean on that fact as an excuse (read more). Geneseo proved to be the second-best team in Upstate New York, and dropped two competitive games to repeat champion Ithaca College this fall. Both teams will enter Saturday’s match with a need for redemption, and while Kutztown has the home-field advantage and post-season experience, Geneseo has a solid shot if it can play through 80 minutes.

(3) Tufts (New England Small College #2) @ Coast Guard (New England Wide #1). Both teams played in the Round of 32 last year, and both lost their openers. Now one is guaranteed to play in the Round of 16 on Nov. 21 at Vassar College. Tufts finished second to Bowdoin in the NESC, and the title match was an 88-0 decision. Remove those two games against the Polar Bears, and Tufts and Coast Guard have had similar experiences throughout league. The Bears, which finished the season untarnished save a 10-10 tie to UVM, and Tufts won a mix of competitive, single-digit-deciding games, and offensive blowouts. In other words, both teams know how to score and they also know how to hold onto a tight lead.

(4) Delaware (Mid-Atlantic #3) @ Vassar (Tri-State #1). The Brewers went full throttle in the Tri-State final, defeating Rutgers 118-0. The center pairing of Laila Blumenthal-Rothchild and Cierra Thomas combined for nine tries, while prop Darienne Jones scored a hat trick. Taylor Nunley and Rachel Elson, scored two tries apiece, while Nathalie Freeman, Mariah Ghant, Mary Margaret McElduff, and Anne Fritzson also scored. McElduff also added nine conversions. Delaware will be hard-pressed to subdue the hosts, and joins the Round of 32 as MARC’s third-place team. The Blue Hens dropped its conference semifinal 66-26 to Bloomsburg before beating East Stroudsburg 79-10 for third. Delaware is happy to be back in post-season play, while Vassar is looking for another trip to the final four.

Round of 16: The winners of games 1 and 2, and games 3 and 4 will play each other in the Round of 16, to take place Saturday, Nov. 21 at Vassar College. The two victors will then contest the Northeast Region championship (i.e., fall quarterfinal) on Sunday, Nov. 22, and the winner will join the three other regional champs at Furman University from Dec. 5-6.