Women D2 ACRAA/CRAA Playoff Bracket Clearing
Women D2 ACRAA/CRAA Playoff Bracket Clearing
The Women’s D2 bracket under ACRA/CRAA is clearing up after an active couple of weekends.
NOTE: This is NOT clear ... at least the bracket isn't clear. After we posted this the D2 bracket was revamped. See more here>>
The bracket has two play-in games between #2 conference finishers to round out the quarterfinals. With the latest series of results we either know who is on those spots, or what the two-team choice is pending this coming weekend’s final.
The Tri-State is still up in the air as four teams are still in the hunt.
Here’s what we have so far:
Tri-State
Vassar, which won the ACRA playoffs in commanding fashion last week, is on a roll. This past weekend they certainly felt confident about their chances in the quarterfinals as they ran out a squad to face Bowdoin in a non-conference game on the Saturday. Vassar won that game 26-19 thanks to two tries from Andi Authers and tries from Caeli Porette and Lauren Showalter.
The next day Vassar took on Marist and with Porette scoring four, Sophia Bailey scoring three, and Zoe Lynch converting eight, the brewers won 76-19 to advance to the conference semifinals.
Head Coach Tony Brown had praise for his second row pairing of Grace Skakel and Louise Ambler for their strength in defense and abilities in the lineout.
Also moving on to the Tri-State semis are RPI, Fairfield, and Columbia.
Vassar faces Rensselaer while Fairfield takes on Columbia, all at Vassar’s fields in Poughkeepsie, NY, on Saturday. The winners garner a place in the ACRA/CRAA playoffs and will then face off on November 6 to decide the conference champion and who gets what seed.
MARC
It’s down to two very effective teams as Temple takes on Kutztown for the MARC seeds to the playoffs. Both teams have been outstanding. Kutztown is physical and tenacious and can beat you with power or with speed and open play. Like a lot of these teams, Kutztown was winning their games by massive margins before they met The College of New Jersey. Held to a 7-5 score at halftime, the Bears could have imploded, but instead went back to what is working for them and put TCNJ away 27-10. They followed that up with a big win over Delaware and they are nicely poised for a run.
Facing Kutztown will be a Temple team that made the ACRA final in 2021 but were hit hard by Vassar. That was a good lesson for the Owls and this year they have been very strong, especially on defense.
Sydnei Scipio is an athletic scrumhalf who joined the team this year; she has taken over the attack and her fitness and speed has, combined with a fit and able pack, made their attack that much quicker and more deadly.
The forwards, led by No. 8 Mariama Sohna and hooker Bridget Phelan have developed a maul that is pretty effective and a new weapon for them, while wing Macey Mento has been a breakout player, scoring about three tries a game and ensuring that the opposition can’t afford to concentrate on one area of the field.
But the big hook upon which Temple hangs their hat is defense. They beat Bloomsburg 90-5 and those five points were the first they had allowed all season.
“The entire program is looking the strongest they have in the past decade,” said Coach Gary Parseau. “Positive tackles have been a huge building block this season.”
With a well-organized defense that applies pressure, Temple is a force this year.
NEWCRC
Vermont has led from the front this season with a 6-0 season, and really the only issue has been that Coast Guard held them to less than four tries. They have played each other twice, both times with close wins for Vermont. Now UVM and USCGA face off a third time for the conference final. Both will make the ACRA/CRAA playoffs, but in what order?
Rocky Mountain
Colorado School of Mines defeated Colorado Mesa 24-21 last weekend to win the conference. Both will go on to the playoffs. This was a game that saw major momentum shifts. Mines led 12-0 before two Mesa tries put them ahead 14-12. Another try put Mesa ahead 21-12 before Mines replied. Then with time winding down the Orediggers scored late to win it 24-21.
Mines has a big roster and plenty of depth, and you have to wonder about the future as almost 40% of the program is freshmen. Another large chunk of the team is sophomores, so Head Coach Daniel Roder might have a good team now … but he also will have a good one going forward.
Rugby Northeast
The Rugby Northeast us split, with some teams in the NCR D2 playoffs and some in the ACRA/CRAA playoffs. Fun times. This past weekend the top ACRA team, Providence College, faced NCR top teams Roger Williams, winning 41-36. That wasn’t a conference game, but it was telling after a 6-0 run for the Friars in which only St. Michael’s was really close. They already had the seed into the ACRA/CRAA playoffs but will take a lot out of that tight game with RWU.
“Our team has really preached 15 as one this season and being one unit together,” said club president Kiernan Wackerbath. “There have been games this season where we only have 15 or 16 girls due to injuries, but we remind each other that there's only 15 on a field and we are the best 15 out there when we work together.”
They have worked hard on their fitness and they say to each other: "You may not be the best team, but you are going to be the fittest team.”.
This, said Wackerbath, has been a huge help in finishing out games.
Captain Catherine "Smiley" Romsey leads the backline and she will take extra time to work one-on-one with new backs to help them get up to speed. Center Adelis Ortiz Liriano is a force on defense and she is a powerful runner, also, having scored 14 tries this fall.
Up front, Wackerbath is lock and club president and runs the lineouts, where she’s the go-to jumper. No. 8 and team captain is a scoring threat and a ferocious tackler.
“She boosts morale on the team, being a hype man for everyone who scores,” said Wackerbarth. Ava "AJ" Navarro adds her own powerful running.
Linking it all together is small and tenacious scrumhalf Sarah DiClemente, who is a brave tackler, a young leader, and a threat to run of defenses ignore her.
Right behind them is UMass-Lowell, a team that reached major playoffs for the first time in 14 years after beating their closest rivals, Wheaton, 62-5. This team can score and will take on the NEWCRC #2 for a spot in the quarterfinals.
So here is the filled-out bracket. Remember four teams—Vassar, RPI, Fairfield, Columbia—are still shooting for the two spots.
