Kutztown vs. Bloomsburg
The Mid-Atlantic contested its DII college championship last weekend and produced a dramatic overtime final between Bloomsburg and Kutztown. The league is sending three teams to the DII fall championships, with third-place Rowan heading to the play-ins this weekend.
RELATED: DI & DII College Fall Brackets • Women’s Rugby Results: Nov. 3-5 • Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conference
On Saturday, Kutztown topped Rowan 46-5 in the semifinals, while Bloomsburg bettered Delaware 88-17 for berths to Sunday’s championship. When the two met in the regular season, Kutztown edged Bloomsburg 22-20, and thus the rematch was a highly anticipated one.
“We were blessed with fantastic weather all fall and on Sunday the rugby gods decided to do something about that,” Kutztown coach Sean Cobb set the scene. “The area in which we were playing received roughly an inch of rain overnight and the field flooded, creating what could only be described as a mud pit. It was a game for the ages.”
A slugfest resulted.
“I have seen very few games in my life where neither team was willing to give an inch,” Cobb recounted. “Both teams met their opponents head on, creating an amazing defensive contest. Bloomsburg controlled the majority of possession in the first half but both teams had their opportunities, coming up just short of the try line time and again.”
As the teams regrouped during halftime, spectators couldn’t distinguish between the squads due to the mud. But the same fervor marked the pitch when the players returned for the second half.
“Bloomsburg took control of the possession game with about 15 minutes left to play and made it virtually impossible for Kutztown to get any offensive attack going,” Cobb continued.
Bloomsburg took two shots at goal as time wore down, but both attempts fell short, ending regulation 0-0. However, the second penalty also resulted in a yellow card to Kutztown captain and No. 8 Aysia Grondahl. The Bears began overtime (two 10-minute halves and a two-minute halftime) a player down, and in a match this close, the advantage made a difference.
Bloomsburg held onto favorable field position, but Kutztown did well to relieve pressure with some well placed kicks. Three minutes into overtime, however, a second yellow card to flanker Taya Jackson further hampered Kutztown. After a sustained pick-and-go series at the line, scrumhalf Alyssa Smith dove over the line at minute 90 for the 5-0 lead.
Kutztown gained a player back and started building an attack at midfield, until a turnover made its way to Bloomsburg outside center Selena Fernandez. She sped to the outside and beat the fullback to the corner, 10-0. The final whistle followed moments later, and Bloomsburg retained its MARC title.
“This was truly an amazing match between two evenly matched opponents, and while I am not a fan of losing, I am very proud of my team for their performance,” Cobb praised. “The work rate of both teams was tested and retested throughout the match, with neither willing to give in. Bloomsburg has a great team and we look forward to playing them every chance we get.”
“I couldn’t haven’t said it better myself,” Bloomsburg coach Kevin Castner supported the recap. “Always a battle with these two teams. Would be awesome to play them again in South Carolina.”
Bloomsburg will compete in the Northeast region of the DII fall championship and host New England Wide’s Hartford in the fall Round of 32. Kutztown will compete in the Mid-Atlantic region and travel to Rugby Northeast champion Bryant for this Saturday’s game. The Bears are also hosting the Mid-Atlantic region’s fall Round of 16/8. Rowan has also qualified for the next round of playoffs after defeating Delaware for third in the MARC, and travels to Allegheny champ Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) on Nov. 11.
For the full fall brackets, click here.
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