Photo: Renee Castelli
The geographic unions within the Atlantic North Competitive Region (CR) field hybrid-like competitions for their senior women’s clubs. Division I and II teams compete against each other during league and then take different post-season paths. This fall, New England is of particular interest, as DII Providence sits atop the hybrid league’s standings.
RELATED: Women’s Rugby Scores: Sept. 29-Oct. 1 • NERFU Tier A Standings • Resource: Senior Club Leagues & Contacts
New England’s Tier A pits DI Boston and Albany against the top four DII clubs from last year: Providence, Portland, Burlington and Worcester. Come post-season, those DII teams will join Tier B to determine New England’s reps to the Atlantic North DII semifinals. One might expect the DI teams to dominate, but that hasn’t been the case thus far.
DII Providence is 4-0 and those victories include two against the DI teams and single-digit decisions (see more). This competitive push is important for a team like Providence, which has history at the DII national championships and is looking to fill vacancies left by teammates who played key roles last season.
“The matches this season have all been competitive and our forwards have been consistently challenged in each game,” explained Providence captain Michelle Un. “We have moved a couple of new players into the forwards and are lucky to have younger players, like [No. 8] Tiara Mack, stepping up as leaders. Our backs have proven to be dynamic attackers and have been difficult for other teams to handle, particularly with strong running from [inside center] Naz Cardoso and [wing] Melissa Keene.”
Keene and Un have scored three tries apiece this fall, while Cardoso leads the team with eight tries. Three of Cardoso’s scores occurred during the team’s closest game – a 25-19 victory over Boston. That outcome was particularly satisfying not only because Providence responded well to a fourth-quarter lead change, but did so with only one sub on the roster.
Un indicated that numbers has been an issue this season, but the team’s also buoyed by new talent in important positions: Beantown alumna Anne Venner at flyhalf, Nicholle Jackson at scrumhalf, and Dana Ayoub, the longtime fullback who returned after a couple years’ absence.
“It has been invaluable to have had consistent coaching from head coach Kathy Flores and assistant coach Emily Hausman, who have challenged us to develop new styles of play and to become decision-makers on the field, all of which have been key this season,” Un added.
Providence will play three more games this league season before moving into the DII New England playoffs later this fall. The two finalists will then mark their calendars for April 2018, when they meet the Empire reps in the DII Atlantic North semifinals. The CR championship is scheduled for May 5, 2018.
Empire is also a hybrid competition, where the finalists move onto the DI pathway, and the third- and fourth-place teams follow a DII pathway. Monmouth and Village Lions are currently 3-0 and play each other this Saturday in New York City. Stay tuned for that report early next week. The Empire semifinals occur Nov. 4 and the championship Nov. 11. Note that New York DI is ineligible for the playoffs.
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