The University of Connecticut took the longer route to the DI fall championship, but the Huskies have returned to the title match nonetheless, and are perhaps stronger for it.
As UCONN progressed through the DI regular season, the team was pleased to see some of its opposition – Northeastern and UMASS, specifically – up its competitiveness, but no team challenged the DI fall reigning champion quite like Boston College. The teams were undefeated as they entered the final week of league, and UConn won the first of three standoffs 15-7.
“This season has been all about the confrontation between us two,” UCONN coach Mark Jordan said of Boston College.
The coaches have a good relationship, but “it’s a bitter rivalry. I don’t think they like us because we have a habit of beating them,” the coach added. “They have a very good team this year. … They’re so fast in the backs. They do 2-3 set moves, and if you don’t pick up on that, they’ll score at will.”
Boston College got its revenge in the Northeast conference championship, defeating UCONN 17-10 for the title. The Eagles were ecstatic – they beat the reigning fall champion – and also took the automatic berth to the fall quarterfinals.
“That was our first loss to a college team in two years,” Jordan said. “It was the shock they needed; it was the jolt in their season.”
That refocus was felt during the play-in win against Princeton and bled into the 25-19 fall quarterfinal victory against Notre Dame. Meanwhile, Boston College overwhelmed Northern Iowa 79-26 in the fall Round of 8, setting up a third match between the Northeast finalists, this time in the fall semifinals.
“We were absolutely ready for Boston College,” said Jordan, who used the Eagles’ conference championship photos to stoke the fire. “We knew we were not going to lose to them twice in one season, and we went out with that mind frame. … Everything was on the line – not only our reputation in the Northeast but the place in the final.”
The teams play different games – UCONN is a little more forward-oriented and gleans strength from veterans like Rachel Coxe, Emily Reed, Jessica Alves and Lily Fontes. The backs, led by co-captain Rachel Gomes, run a strong defensive game, and ramped up their pressure to take away time and space from Boston College’s dangerous centers, who highlight a generally fast team. The snowy, cold conditions also benefitted the pack-strong Huskies.
A good, hard, physical game evolved.
“We raised our game tremendously,” Jordan said. “Center Derek Roydavis had an outstanding defensive game and must have made 50 tackles on her own – along with flanker Christa Amoia. She tackled everything that moved. We closed Boston College down, really. We had one lapse in concentration and their number eight [Jade McGrath] went through [for a try].”
UCONN won 14-7, and Jordan left the game thinking that if Boston College had won that fall semifinal, then the Eagles would have won it all. As UCONN prepares for the 15-hour van trip to South Carolina, coach Jordan won’t have to find motivating words or exploit a rivalry for the team’s best performance. The Huskies return to the fall title match against a familiar opponent, Air Force (preview coming tomorrow), and have already been pushed to their extremes.
“They don’t carry the fear they had about playing [Air Force] like last year,” Jordan reflected on fall 2015. “We’ll be as difficult as anyone they’ve faced. … We earned our way this year – had one hiccup, straightened out, and then took out three good teams. I’m fully confident in my team.”
The DI fall championship – which is not the national championship but the counterpart to the DI spring championship – will occur Sunday, Dec. 4 at 11 a.m. Eastern and streamed on The Rugby Channel.
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