The Northeast has concluded its portion of the DII fall Round of 32, and all four of the higher seeds were victorious. The teams will contest their Round of 16 matches at Vassar College on Saturday, Nov. 21, and the victors will play for a berth to the final four on Sunday.

The closest scoreline came out of the Kutztown vs. SUNY Geneseo match, but the Lady Bears prevailed 26-17.

"It was a really hard fought win," Kutztown coach Sean Cobb reported. "They put in two tries late to make it close, but overall I thought we controlled the game. Our forwards did a great job of controlling the pace of play."

No. 8 Amber DeFabio was especially influential, and the senior was named Woman of the Match. The back attack is still adjusting to the loss of several key injuries - including halfbacks Erica Papp and Mary Cate Matta, and center Taylor Sandin - that occurred during the MARC championship.

"The backline was very young but did a great job on the defensive side of the ball," Cobb added. "Our attack style was much different and much more reminiscent of last year's team."

Last year's team advanced to the DII fall final four, where it eventually faced Bowdoin in the third place match. Kutztown will have a chance to replay that game in next weekend's DII Round of 16, as Bowdoin won its playoff opener today 67-0 over Univ. Maine-Orono.

Bowdoin coach MaryBeth Mathews credited good forward play, speed on the outside, and a few tactical kicks in the shutout victory. Quick ball began with good retention, and prop Elena Schaef in the breakdown and Anna Piotti in the lineout were exceptional. Scrumhalf Emily King did well to move the ball through her speedy backline, and Addison Carvajal proved the most successful finisher on the day. She led all scorers with 22 points on three tries, a penalty, and two conversions. Paige Pfannenstiel, King, and wing Georgia Bolduc scored a brace of tries apiece. Liz D'Angelo, Cristina Lima, Elena Schaef also added tries.

In the other half of the regional bracket, Vassar received some pushback from Tri-State #3 Delaware, but ultimately the Brewers’ more potent attack produced a 50-12 win.

“The final score might suggest that this was a straightforward win for the Vassar team but that does not give the University of Delaware players the credit they deserve,” Vassar coach Tony Brown wrote in his match report. “The visitors to the Vassar campus stole ball at the breakdown and ran hard when they did have possession and it was a hard-fought game. The Blue Hens tackled and never gave up, finishing the game inside the Vassar 22 and along the way scored a try in each half.”

Centers Cierra Thomas and Laila Blumenthal-Rothchild, and fullback Rachel Elson scored two tries apiece, while No. 8 Taylor Nunley and wing Anne Fritzson added one apiece. Flyhalf Mary Margaret McElduff kicked five conversions.

In the big win, coach Brown also noted areas of concern around the breakdown as well as the quality of tackling. They’ll be focal points during this week’s training, as Vassar prepares for Coast Guard in the Round of 16. The Bears defeated New England Small College runner-up Tufts 58-12 in New London, Conn., today.

The 30 mph winds played a big part in today’s outcome, and the Cadets did a better job of using the element to their benefit. In the first half, Coast Guard kept the ball in hand and pummeled the Tufts defense until it broke. In the second half, with the wind at their backs, the Cadets went to the boot and put their backs in space.

Coast Guard bowed out of the playoffs during the Round of 32 last year, so advancing to the next stage is a significant accomplishment for a program that draws its squad from approximately 300 female students. The Cadets will face the Brewers for an uptick in competition.

Ten other Round of 32 matches occurred around the country today. See the full backets here.

Mid-Atlantic Region
Bloomsburg 78-5 Grand Valley State
Saint Michael's 36-17 Smith
Ithaca College 24-19 Albany
(Rutgers vs. Stonehill - Sunday)

Rocky Mountain Region
Winona 114-5 Univ Illinois-Chicago
Mankato State 53-19 UW Steven's Point
Colorado Mesa BYE
Montana State

Midwest Region
Eastern Kentucky 63-5 Illinois State
Davenport 132-3 Slippery Rock
IUP defeated Ferris State
Cincinnati 41-13 UW La Crosse