Scylla, champions of the DII Midwest and nation in 2017 / Photo: Sabrina Bukvich
Midwest senior clubs, like the Northeast, have returned to a fall-centric league schedule and will name Division I and Division II champions in November. The shift from a split-season set-up is significant in that it allows teams to plan their spring schedules better. By mid-November, two teams will know that they are competing toward national championships in the spring.
RELATED: Womens’ Rugby Results: Oct. 20-22 • Midwest Division II Club Standings • Midwest Division I Standings
There are two divisions within the Midwest region – East and West – and each division has two pools of competition. The East and West have structured their post-seasons differently, so here’s a brief outline of the following two weekends that precede the Midwest championships on Nov. 11.
There’s also an issue of hosting, as some of the playoffs previous to the Midwest championship are to be held at the higher seed, but that needs to be calculated (standings points, point differential, games played) after the Oct. 28 round.
DIVISION II
WEST
Oct. 28
West 1: #1 Grand Rapids vs. #2 Chicago Sirens
West 2: does not hold a playoff BUT the Oct. 28 league match between Palmer College (6-1) and Twin Cities (6-1) will decide the West 2 winner.
Nov. 4
West championship
West 1 winner vs. West 2 winner
Nov. 11
Midwest championship @ Lemont, Ill.
West champion vs. East champion
EAST
Oct. 28
Pool crossovers @ higher seed
Match 1: Cincinnati (East 2 #2) @ South Buffalo (East 1 #1)
Match 2: Buffalo (East 1 #2) @ Scioto Valley (East 2 #1)
Nov. 4
East championship
Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner
Nov. 11
Midwest championship @ Lemont, Ill.
East champion vs. West champion
DIVISION I
There are only four teams in Division I, and the top two will play a single game on Nov. 11 in Lemont, Ill., for the Midwest championship. Detroit (5-0) will play Wisconsin (3-3) if Chicago (2-2) loses either of its final two games. Additionally, the Midwest finalists will then be eligible to join the Gold Cup in the spring.
Read more about league-leading Detroit.