GREENVILLE, SC (Dec 3, 2016) – The Vassar College women's rugby team will be traveling to Greenville, South Carolina to compete for the USA Rugby DII Fall College Championship at Furman University.
Currently ranked 3rd in the nation, the Brewers will take on last year's Fall champions, the No. 1 ranked Panthers of Davenport University at 1PM on John S. Roberts Field in the first of the semifinal matches. On the other side of the bracket, the No. 2 ranked Black Katts of Winona State University will take on Bears of the Coast Guard Academy at 3PM on the same field. The winners of these two matches will advance to play for the USA Rugby DII Fall College Championship at 3PM at the Eugene Stone Soccer Stadium, while the other two teams play a consolation match at 11AM on John S. Roberts Field.
Tournament Schedule
Saturday Dec. 3, 2016
A 1:00 PM Davenport University v. Vassar College at John S. Roberts Field
B 3:00 PM Winona State University v. Coast Guard Academy at John S. Roberts Field
Sunday Dec. 4, 2016
11:00 AM Division II Consolation - Loser of A v. Loser of B at John S. Roberts Field
3:00 PM Division II Fall Championship- Winner of A v. Winner of B at Eugene Stone Soccer Stadium
Game Coverage: (Video)
But First
Vassar College Office of Communications staff writer Larry Hertz wrote a preview as well for this weekend's action. Read the story HERE before returning to read about the four teams competing this weekend in Greenville, SC.
Last Time Out
Playing two games on back-to-back days, the Brewers easily disposed of the University of Vermont in the round of 16, running in eleven tries and adding seven cons while shutting out the No. 19 ranked Catamounts for a final scoreline of 69-0, before taking on the Great Danes of the University of Albany (No. 11) in the round of eight. The round of eight match saw the Great Danes battle hard and give the Brewers a very physical matchup, but the Brewers ultimately came away with the 34-5 victory that sealed their trip to the final four.
A Look at the Brewers
The Brewers are currently ranked No. 3 in the nation holding an 11-1 record (10-0 in division two play). In all division two play, the Brewers have outscored their opponents 687-56. Top scorer and backs captain Mary Margaret McElduff leads the charge with eight tries and 58 cons for a total of 156 points. The Brewers impressive scoring ability is bolstered by top try-scorer Rachel Elson, who has totaled 24 tries on the season for 120 points. Not far behind Elson is senior captain Nathalie Freeman, who has found the try-line 21 times this season for a total of 105 points. While it is the scorers who receive most of the plaudits, there are several players on this Brewer team who have stepped up to fill crucial roles that allow the team to succeed. Following the injury of scrumhalf Jyen Wong, sophomore Jennie To has slotted well into the position and has done very well in organizing the Brewer offense and patterns of play. She has also proven to be very impressive with the ball in hand. Also having an impressive season is junior Amanda Saich. Saich made the transition from lock to number eight early in the year and has proven herself to be a very intelligent player at the back of the scrum, as well as a dominant force in the ruck and at the tackle. The Brewers field several players who have previous final four experience and the team will look these players for their experience and leadership this weekend.
A Look at the Panthers
The No.1 ranked Davenport University Panthers come into the tournament as the reigning USA Rugby DII Champions. When they do take the field, the Panthers have gone 7-1, with their one loss coming from the Division I Notre Dame College. Against DII opponents, they have outscored their opponents 651-17. Unfortunately for Davenport, their season has been a bit disjointed, with several teams in their conference opting to forfeit matches against them. Prior to their round of 16 match against Cincinnati, Davenport faced three weeks of dormancy and they haven't been able to get consistent playing the time. Nonetheless, the Panthers come into their semi-final match in good form, coming off of a 57-7 victory in the round of 16 and a 88-0 blowout of the No. 20 ranked Illinois State in the quarterfinal. Davenport will look to the experience of captain Danielle Ordway and upperclassmen Brenna Donahue and Madison Sparks, among others to keep their shape as they field a team one of their youngest teams since their inaugural year.
A Look at the Black Katts
The No. 2 ranked Black Katts of Winona State have been a perennial powerhouse in the fall national tournament, having advanced to the five previous championship games. They come into the tournament holding a 8-0 record in division two play, having dominated the Northern Lights Rugby Conference before advancing to the national tournament. The Black Katts went 5-0 in conference play, outscoring opponents 461-0 along the way. Their forfeit victory against Marquette in the round of 16 left them fresh and ready to play their round of eight match, where they brushed aside the No. 5 ranked Montana State 42-5 to earn their berth in the fall semifinal. The Black Katts defeated the Brewers 45-26 in last years semifinal before falling Davenport University in the final. Winona fields a very different team this year, however, having graduated a core group of seniors and having brought in some young talent, with several influential players having high school experience.
A Look at the Bears
The Bears of the Coast Guard Academy come into the tournament as a bit of a surprise qualifier. The Bears had advanced to last year's round of 16 where they fell 37-0 to a Vassar team that eventually qualified for the semi-final. Despite holding a 9-0 record going into the round of 16 and having outscored opponents 548-27, the Bears went into the round of 16 ranked No. 10 in the nation and were expected to be knocked off by 2015 semifinal qualifier Bloomsburg, who defeated the Brewers in the consolation match to earn third place in the tournament . Against the Bloomsburg team (then ranked No. 4) the Bears turned heads with a 48-22 victory before advancing to the round of eight where they played St. Michaels to a difficult 22-17 victory. For her efforts in those matches, flyhalf Ashley Palmieri earned Canterbury Player of the Week honors.
Road to Redemption
The Brewers are familiar with the tournament semi-finals, having advanced to the final four last year before falling to Winona 26-45 in what started out as a back and forth battle between the two teams, but ended in Winona running away with it as they exploited some weakness within the Vassar defense. The Brewers ended their campaign placing fourth in the tournament after falling 32-43 to Bloomsburg in the consolation match. The 88 points conceded in those two matches were more than Vassar had conceded during their entire season prior. Coaches Tony Brown and Mark Griffiths have made note of this in preparing their team this fall and have placed a lot of emphasis on the teams defensive organization and physicality in the tackle. This year the Brewers go into the semi-final having conceded only 56 points in division two play, a testament to their defensive improvements. While always an offensive threat, the Brewers hope that their dedication to improving their defense will help them to concede fewer tries and advance to the tournament final.
A Look Ahead
Vassar will conclude their fall season playing in either the final or consolation match on Sunday, December 4th. The women's rugby team will return to play in the Spring for the competitive sevens season and for several friendly 15s matches in preparation for next year's fall campaign.
--VASSAR--
