It's semifinal time in Women's D1A Rugby.

After years of being called D1 Elite, this competition has now been official renamed D1A Women, or WD1A. These four members play each other for the seedings and then we get the semifinal and final. Every final since 2018 has included Life and Lindenwood and, it seems, we could well see that again. Those two teams have split their two matches against each other, while they have beaten the other teams. 

But ... you've got to play the game. Here's a look at the two semifinals this weekend.

CWU at Lindenwood 

Lindenwood hosts Central Washington in a game that promises plenty of action. 

At 9-1 (including two-game weekends) the Lindenwood Lions have impressed but have not necessarily dominated. Over their last six matches they have give up more than 20 points five times, and average 24.5 points per game. Oddly, their only under-20-point defensive performance was against CWU, a 41-15 in Ellensburg, Wash. a month ago.

But it still holds that Lindenwood can score, and can be scored upon. 

What they are bringing to the table is a cadre of very experienced players, led by the redoubtable Freda Tafuna at No. 8 and also as the goalkicker, and the equally impressive Amy Brice, who has been a stalwart back, and perhaps one of the most unselfish superstar collegiate players in the game, for years. 

Things have not been especially easy for Central Washington, and that’s just how Head Coach Matt Ramirez likes it. Their opening win, 106-0 over University of Oregon, was not the sort of blowout they wanted. If you look at the other six matches played, four featured teams that had won a national championship over the past two years: Lindenwood (2023 D1 Elite champions), two games against Life (2024 D1 Elite champions), and University of British Columbia (reigning Canadian national champions).

They lost all of those, with last week’s 55-22 defeat to UBC the latest. In all of those games, CWU was competitive, hard-nosed, and learned something. That’s the philosophy of this team. You’re not going to get better rolling over opponents. 

By the way, the other two games in their schedule were wins over BYU (53-24 and 19-10), but the real shame for the Wildcats is that two games, versus Western Washington and a Pacific Northwest U23 team, had to be canceled. The U23 game was called off due to weather. With the WWU, we’re not clear on the reason. But when you schedule a nine-game season, losing two of them is critical.

Lindenwood, as well, had two games called off. 

Now, we know, these teams will show up.

"It's tough not to be excited about playoff time," CWU’s Ramirez said. "It's a brand-new season full of new opportunities. The focus and challenge for the team is finding the detail in everything to win the moments. I'm excited to get to work with the squad as we prep for Saturday."