Raleigh and NOVA host leg three of the Gold Cup /// Photo courtesy Raleigh Venom Rugby
The final round of the inaugural Gold Cup commences this weekend and sees the top DI Midwest clubs head to the Mid-Atlantic for two games apiece. The North Atlantic’s Beantown and Boston completed their rounds in the fall, which ended with a tense 19-16 showdown between host Chicago North Shore and Beantown, both of which are WPL-bound in fall 2017.
RELATED: Gold Cup Round 1 • Club Game of Fall 2016 • 2017 Women’s Event Calendar
Chicago North Shore played its first league match of the spring last weekend, defeating Wisconsin 60-5. Outside center Gabby Whittinghill led all point-scorers with 25 on three tries and five conversions. Flyhalf Kathleen Stanley and wing Devon Gold scored a brace of tries apiece, while fullback Betty Nguyen, flanker Linda Guiney and lock Sidney Montano also dotted down. The victory came without senior leaders Lauren Trout and Christiane Pheil, who was in Chula Vista, Calif., for the USA Women’s 15s tests against Canada.
Detroit played its first spring league game on March 25 and defeated Chicago 31-17. Fullback Lindsey Mancini’s hat trick and conversion helped the team pull away in a game that stayed close for the majority of the 80 minutes. Lock Maureen Kelly and Oakland University’s Emily Hranchook also scored, and No. 8 Shaena Sparrow tacked on three conversions.
Detroit replaces the Minnesota Valkyries in the Midwest’s second round of the Gold Cup. The Valkyries suffered two shutouts to the North Atlantic teams in the fall, and Detroit has moved into second place in the DI Midwest league.
Detroit will play its first Gold Cup match against Raleigh, which is coming off a D.C. Ruggerfest win. The Venom kicked off the spring portion of its season on March 25 and beat Philadelphia 44-7 to stay undefeated. Wing Holly Zoeller, No. 8 Cerrin Eldridge and second-half sub Jazamine Gray all scored two tries, while prop Lisa Jackson and inside center Jennifer Larrimore also added five points apiece. Flyhalf Chelsea Garber handled the conversions.
The Venom didn’t participate in the first round of Gold Cup, which required the Mid-Atlantic teams to travel to the North Atlantic, so the North Carolina side is also debuting in the competition.
NOVA did travel north for the first Gold Cup round in October and went 1-1, defeating Boston and giving Beantown a good game. The Virginia team has played one spring league game thus far, a 76-5 win over Pittsburgh. NOVA spread the try-scoring across 10 players: Stephanie Barros (2), Peyton Larus (2), Kayla Cook, Megan Hanson, Christina Metzmaier, Avery Rain, Ariel Johnson, Stephanie Iacobucci, Kathryn Hemlock and Abby Gustaistis. Hemlock and Rachel Primo shared conversions.
The six Gold Cup teams will round out league play this month and then all feature in their respective Competitive Region playoffs:
MID-ATLANTIC
April 29: Semifinals @ Norfolk, Va.
– SF: Raleigh vs. Pittsburgh/Philadelphia
– SF: NOVA vs. Pittsburgh/Philadelphia
April 30: Final @ Norfolk, Va.
Runner-up will enter the repechage vs. the Midwest or North Atlantic runner-up for the eighth seed to nationals (to replace the unused South seed). The only available date for that play-in match would be the weekend of May 13-14, as the national quarterfinals will be contested May 20-21 in Pittsburgh, Pa., and Tucson, Ariz.
MIDWEST
May 6: Championship @ Lemont, Ill.
– Chicago North Shore vs. Detroit
NORTH ATLANTIC
April 29: New England vs. Empire crossovers
– SF: Village Lions @ Beantown
– SF: Boston @ Monmouth
May 6: Championship @ Albany, N.Y.
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