Photos: Jackie Finlan (see more)
The high school clubs opened up the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) today, and the remaining title contenders are the top-four ranked teams: United, South Bay, North Bay and Morris. Saturday will see the Middle Tennessee State University grounds swell, as the single-school divisions join the action.
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With 10 teams in the competition, the tournament began with two quarterfinal play-in matches. Brunswick and KC United had played each other less than a month ago at the Midwest championships, and the Ohio side had won that match 34-15. The Valkyries put more distance between itself and the Missouri squad this morning, triumphing 45-5 for the berth to the quarterfinals. The other play-in was more tense, as West End coach Matt Estes indicated that the the team entered the game with some nerves – PA United had defeated the Virginia side heavily at D.C. Ruggerfest. But the players found a way to pull it all together and took a 7-0 lead into halftime.
PA United answered back in the second half and got leading performances out of players like Alex DiMarco, Julia Riekena and Tiyanna Hooker. The team dotted down two tries, the Ruckettes scored a second, and the duo went to the end of regulation knotted at 14. West End then got some good meters down the sideline through its wings, and No. 8 Matalasi Morrissette – who was an inspiration all day – dragged would-be tacklers into the try zone for the go-ahead points and win, 19-14. Morrissette is heading to BYU to join her sister this fall, and her younger sister, sophomore Talosia, also played very well inserting from fullback, scoring and putting in lots of try-saving tackles.
As their reward, Brunswick and West End got two hours rest before facing the top-two ranked teams in the quarterfinals. But first, a pair of East Coast vs. West Coast quarterfinals took over the venue. The Morris vs. Danville game was scoreless through regulation, and sideline staffers quickly reviewed the tie-breaker scenarios: no overtime periods but decision by place kicks. But just like the West End vs. PA United game, Morris got that speedy break around the corner to score the winning points, 7-0, and leave Danville with no opportunity to respond. Meanwhile, North Bay worked a fast, wide game against SoCal’s Belmont Shore for a 31-17 win and berth to the semifinals.
The second set of quarterfinals produced two shutouts. Granted Brunswick and West End had already played a game, in sweltering heat, but the results spoke more to United’s and South Bay’s performances. Both the Utah and SoCal teams have a great blend of physicality and skill, producing a fun version of rugby. United defeated Brunswick 75-0 and South Bay topped West End 57-0. The reigning high school club NIT champion will face Morris in Saturday’s semifinal, while South Bay will play North Bay for the berth to the title match.
Finally, PA United defeated KC United 71-0 in the 9th place consolation game, and the 10-team bracket has these teams playing each other again on Saturday. The other eight teams are in the championship final four or 5th place semifinalists. Who knows whether PA United and KC United see value in repeating this match, but it’d be worth consulting the 7th place contenders for a friendly swap.
Click here for the full schedule, and see more Day 1 photos here.
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