Davis’ Carli Watt, seen here during the Spring Round of 16 /// Photo: Jackie Finlan
It took a massive second-half effort but UC Davis is returning to the Women’s DI College Spring Championship after a 36-24 win over Central Florida. The Aggies will face Notre Dame College, which bettered Stanford 29-17 in overtime earlier today.
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In the first half, Central Florida was able to execute a physical, quick-spreading game that UC Davis struggled to contain. The Knights ran in four tries to the Aggies’ two and carried all of the momentum into the break.
Power forwards like Julia Phillips, Sara Karuli and Neisha Smith pummeled the defense and required double tackles. When the time was right, the ball moved out to the backs for some open-field maneuvering. UCF outside center Cortney Kuehl capitalized on that space, scoring the game-opening try quickly. She added another five points to the board with a long-range solo effort, pushing past outstretched arms and outracing the pursuit for the 10-0 lead.
Although Davis struggled with continuity – something the wet weather exacerbated – the defending DI spring champion answered with the next two scores. A 60-meter clearance kick put the Aggies in good attacking position and the lineout worked to inside center Sydnee Watanabe, who attracted multiple tacklers. The ball recycled to wing Rebecca Lehman who stretched over the line, 10-5.
A series of penalties allowed Davis to remain on the front foot and as the 30-minute mark approached, outside center Erica Hipp cut across the defense and weaved to the try line. Lehman converted for the 12-10 lead.
UCF reclaimed the rest of the half as an error on the restart allowed the Knights to attack once more. Again the forwards put their collective head down, and after one held-up score, captain Karuli powered over for the go-ahead try, 17-12 with fullback Jackie Edge’s conversion.
Before the break, UC Davis committed a penalty in the scrum in its own end, and UCF used the opportunity to put the ball in Karuli’s hands. Two hard charges opened up the space for the back line and Edge scored in the corner. She hit the conversion for the 24-12 lead into the break.
As the second half kicked off, it became clear that Davis had discussed some adjustments and were sticking to them. The defense absorbed UCF’s fringe attack better and that charge was led by flanker Tonya Wessman. The Davis counter-rucking was also influential in gaining more possession.
After a sustained attack inside UCF’s 22 meter, Davis turned over a UCF ball that was working slowly across its try line. A quick-tap penalty was followed by a barreling run from Davis prop Brenda Erickson. A solid conversion from Lehman cut the lead to five, 24-19.
UCF drew a yellow card at minute 58 and Davis used that player advantage to eventually put Lehman into the try zone. She converted her score for the 26-24 lead, which would hold through the fourth quarter.
UCF lost Julia Phillips in the final 10 minutes after a high-tackle red card offense. Two more tries came after some pretty backline work, quick looping passes that stalled the inside defense and opened up room. Kuehl turned over one such break from Watanabe but a penalty went quickly to prop Sabrina Perez for the push-off try. Wing Prai Harris then ended the game with a try for a 36-24 win.
UC Davis returns to the DI spring championship as the reigning champion, having defeated UVA in the 2016 final. Notre Dame College overcame a massive 100-plus-minute semifinal to also earn its shot at the trophy.
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