Two Thriller Finals Cap NIRA Season
Two Thriller Finals Cap NIRA Season
In two superbly dramatic, well-played, and close games, the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association crowned their champions Saturday.
These are the women's NCAA varsity teams, and the two finals were barnburners.
In a back-and-forth match of intense physicality in the D-II final, AIC outlasted Davenport 20-15. Paced by two tries from MVP Noami Dodd, AIC fell behind early but clawed their way back.
Davenport led 15-10 at halftime but the second half was played almost exclusively in Davenport's half. The Panthers defended brilliantly and both teams slammed into each other with plenty of bravery. But AIC managed to score twice and pull it out 20-15.
In the D-I final, Harvard came into the game having lost to Dartmouth in Cambridge earlier in the season. But, playing at Dartmouth this time around Harvard came in with a plan. The Crimson kicking game was strong and tested the Dartmouth catches, while the Harvard scrum caused the Big Green all sorts of problems.
After weathering some early pressure (and a Dartmouth decision not to take points on a kickable penalty), Harvard scored two well-taken tries set up in part by MVP Tiahna Padilla. That put Harvard up 12-0. Dartmouth scored late in the first half and then put together their best sequence to tie it up 12-12.
Harvard responded with a try, and with the scrum led by No. 8-turned-prop Charlotte Gilmour, they had the better of the run of play. Dartmouth squandered a key scoring chance and Harvard did not, and it was the Crimson that took the win 19-12.
"Pressure makes diamonds," said fullback Chloe Headland, referring to early-season close games that reminded the Harvard team that they weren't going to waltz through this competition. As a result, they didn't panic when things got tough, and emerged champions.
