POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 13, 2017)- The Vassar College women's rugby team will be participating in the USA Rugby Division II Northeast Regional Championship in Kutztown, Pennsylvania.
 
The Northeast Regional Championship will take place over the course of two days, with the semifinals being contested on Saturday, November 18 and the winners of those matches advancing to the finals on Sunday. The Northeast Regional Championship also serves as the round of 16 and quarterfinals of the USA Rugby Fall National Tournament, with the winner advancing to the semifinals of the fall championships.
 
The Brewers will play Colby College on Saturday and if they win that game, they will advance to play the winner of Bryant vs. Buffalo State for the title.
 
Last Time Out
In their round of 32 matchup, the Brewers faced the Rugby Northeast number three seed, Roger Williams University. The Brewers ran in 13 tries in a 75-5 blowout victory over the visitors, with the Roger Williams women never really threatening. Outside center Kayla Lightner had a particularly impressive performance, scoring four tries and putting in the work on the defensive end to put the game well out of reach for the Hawks.
 
A Look at the Brewers
The Brewers come into the match undefeated in all competitions, holding a 10-0 record overall and having finished as Tri-State Champions. Over the course of their unblemished season, the Brewers have outscored opponents 638-96, winning six of their games by a margin of 50 points or more. Leading the team in scoring is flyhalf and kicker Makena Emery. The junior has scored four tries and made 46 conversions for a total of 112 points on the season. Fullback Michelle Urrutia has also made a significant contribution to the Brewer offense. Urrutia has found the try-line 20 times to lead the team in tries scored and has added three conversions for a total of 106 points thus far. The Brewers boast an extremely prolific offense with plenty of scoring options, having four players in the double digits for tries scored and 18 players who have found the try-line this season. The Brewer back row, comprised of flankers Sarah Mawhinney and Oshana Reich and number eight Amanda Saich have been crucial to the Brewers' success, putting in strong defensive efforts off the scrum and in the loose, as well as adding a combined 24 tries on the season. Adding to an already intimidating Brewer starting lineup, senior wing Abby Alexander has emerged as an unsung hero for the Brewers. Alexander has been a consistent, reliable defensive player for the Brewers, making countless tackles on the wing to deny opposition scoring opportunities. In addition to her defensive contributions, Alexander has added seven tries this season, has stepped up with several strong performances as the team's backup flyhalf when needed, and earned Rugby Imports Tri-State Player of the Week honors for her performance against University at Albany (10/7/17).
 
A Look at the White Mules
Colby comes into the tournament with a 7-2 record in all competitions and finished the regular season as the NESCRC Champions. The two losses came in the form of a 67-21 loss to NIRA team Bowdoin in October, followed by a very close 29-33 loss to University of Maine-Orono later in the month. Last time out, Colby played University of New Hampshire to a 36-17 victory in order to advance. The White Mules boast a large number of attacking options, with 13 players having contributed tries this season. In particular, the White Mules boast a potent back line, led by backs captain Laura Wu, who has been an important distributor of the ball at flyhalf, going through to score herself on a number of occasions, and adding several points from the kicking tee. She's joined by forwards captain Clare Stephens, who has been a consistent try-scorer for Colby from the number eight position and was tabbed as last week's MVP by coach Susan Childers. Sophomore center Emma Hofman has also emerged as a strong scoring threat for Colby, having scored at least one try in each of the past five games for the White Mules. Prop Jess Edlund has also consistently found her name on the scoresheet for the high-scoring Colby side.
 
A Look at the Banshees
Buffalo State comes into this week well-rested, having had a bye in the round of 32. The Upstate conference number one seed comes into the tournament with a 7-1 record overall, with the one loss coming from the regular season, where the Banshees fell 17-22 to Cortland. The Banshees bounced back to beat Cortland in the conference championship to claim the Upstate I seed. Buffalo state featured in the Northeast Regional Tournament last year, advancing to the round of 16 before being knocked out by University at Albany. This year, Buffalo will face the Bulldogs of Bryant University in the round of 16. The Banshees are led by captains Carlee Cockerel and Celine De La Cruz, who pull the strings from the scrumhalf and flyhalf position respectively. Cockerel entered the Northeast Regional Tournament last year as one of Buffalo's top scorers and continues to be an influential player for the Banshees. In addition to their captains, Buffalo state boasts an experienced forward pack. Front row players Alex Miller-Wampler and Savannah Smith have been propping as a unit for three years and have been important in applying pressure in the scrums, as well as in loose play. Miller-Wampler's try against Cortland in the conference finals proved to be the difference maker, moving the score to 17-7 and putting the comeback just out of reach for Cortland, who added two penalties before being held to a 17-13 scoreline. Smith has also added several points from the kicking tee.
 
A Look at the Bulldogs
The Bulldogs come into the tournament as the Rugby Northeast number one seed, holding a 5-4 record overall. Two of those losses came at the hands of division one teams Boston University and Northeastern. The other two losses came during conference play against Roger Williams University, who was knocked off in the round of 32 by Vassar, and Southern Connecticut State. The Bulldogs got back on track with three consecutive wins against Providence College, Stonehill College and Kutztown University to advance to the round of 16. Leading the charge for the Bulldogs is fullback Courtney Wheeler, who has accumulated 19 tries on the season for a total of 95 points. She's joined by lock Chelsea Doucette, who has added eight tries for the Bulldogs this season, and number eight Brianna Zemotel, who has added several tries of her own and serves as the go-to kicker for this Bryant team. Bryant comes into this weekend with the worst record of the four teams, but has looked strong in its recent showings. Seeing off perennial powerhouse Kutztown is no small order, but Bryant did just that, squeaking by with a 25-17 victory in the round of 32 to make sure the hosts would be watching from the sidelines this weekend.
 
Good Things Come in Threes
The Brewers will need to secure two victories this weekend if they want to want to proceed to the 2017 Fall championship. If they manage to do this, it will be the third year in a row that Vassar has been featured in the final four of this competition. Since the inception of the fall championship, Vassar has been featured in three of the four semifinals, missing out only in 2014, where they were eliminated by Kutztown in the round of eight. The Brewers currently hold three Northeast Regional Champion titles from 2013, 2015 and 2016.
Road to Redemption
Last year, the Brewers won the Northeast Regional Tournament handily, knocking off University of Vermont 69-0 before taking on Albany in the Northeast final, prevailing 34-5 to advance to the national final four. They fell in the semifinals to eventual champions Davenport, making it the third time in four years that Vassar failed to advance to the final. This year the Brewers will be looking to go all the way in the fall championship, but in order to do so they must first win the Northeast Regional title.
 
A Look Ahead
If the Brewers prevail in both matches over the weekend, they will be traveling to Furman University in South Carolina to play in the final four of the fall championship. If they lose either match, they will conclude their fall season and take time off before preparing for the spring season. Should the Brewers lose on Saturday, they will still play a consolation match on Sunday to determine final Northeast tournament placement.