Bowdoin advanced in the rankings. / See more photos
A mix of blowouts and close games marked the end of September, and the results saw some adjustments in the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) rankings. Non-league games don’t affect the order per se, but like cross-tier games, they make for good references.
RELATED: NIRA Homepage • Women’s Rugby Scores: Sept. 28-30 • Support TRB: Donate Today!
Below are the individual recaps to the games, and they include links to the athletic departments’ write-ups. As for those that affected the rankings, Tier 2 Bowdoin moved up after losing to Tier 1 West Chester in the final eight minutes of the match, and Sacred Heart was rewarded for its win over Colby-Sawyer.
While Molloy posted a massive win over Castleton, the teams are still playing 7s, whereas Colby-Sawyer is playing 15s and only three tries short of Sacred Heart.
Additionally, two fabulous non-league games occurred, as Army hosted DI Elite Life University and Mount St. Mary’s played DI independent Navy. The Black Knights led the Running Eagles until the final score, resulting in a 19-18 loss, while Maya Grassi’s two conversions helped the Mountaineers over the Midshipmen 19-15.
• QUINNIPIAC 33-10 NOTRE DAME COLLEGE
The teams met in Pittsburgh for this Tier 1 match, and the Bobcats spaced out the scoring among five players. The Falcons scored a try in each half. Both teams are now 2-2 in NIRA.
Tries: Emily Roskopf, Margot Vella, Allison Koenig, Meg Rose, Mikah Maples
Cons: Mckenna Haz 4
Notre Dame College 10
Tries: Marcaya Bailous, Maggie Kowalik
• NORWICH 52-5 NEW ENGLAND
Senior center Sheila Decker led the way once again, dotting down four tries and connecting on six of eight conversions. This was a cross-tier game and the Cadets were heavy favorites heading in.
Tries: Sheila Decker 4, Brooke Stafford, Kennedy Mack, Liz Gregory, Molly Higgins
Cons: Decker 6
New England 5
Tries: Melissa Smith
• WEST CHESTER 19-10 BOWDOIN
Bowdoin led West Chester until minute 72, when freshman Autumn Czaplicki completed a hat trick. It was a good performance for the Tier 2 team from Maine, which got standout defensive performances from Liz D’Angelo and Satya Kent, who made 20-plus tackles each.
Tries: Autumn Czaplicki 3
Cons: Kylie Corless
Tries: Jackie Jacques, Hannah Zuklie
• SACRED HEART 46-29 COLBY-SAWYER
Solid offensive output from both teams in this 15s match, but the Pioneers had a little more kick than the Chargers. Isabel Cuddy led the day with five tries, while freshman Bailey Burt led Colby-Sawyer with three.
Tries: Isabel Cuddy 5, Allie Rinaldi, Tyffany Brisbane, Kaitlin Lagase
Cons: Kaylee Hale 3
Tries: Olivia Randlett, Bailey Burt 3, Jordyn Enos
Cons: Julia Anhalt, Burt
• MOLLOY 109-7 CASTLETON
Five players scored 17 tries in Molloy’s win over Castleton, which got its points from Kaitlyn Duff. Sophomore Olivia Sturiano led all point-scorers with 36 on two tries and 13 conversions. Grad student Caroline Nickels followed with 35 on seven tries.
Tries: Caroline Nickels 7, Siobhan Coady 4, Olivia Sturiano 2, Chrissy Heyer 2, Gabrielle Riepe 2
Cons: Sturiano 13
Castleton 7
Tries: Kaitlyn Duff
Cons: Duff
NON-LEAGUE
• LIFE 19-18 ARMY
The Running Eagles came to town after winning two games against Penn State (read more) and trailed the Black Knights for virtually the entire match. The final score, however, was the lead change that stuck. Sam Sullivan and Gio Ferguson-Lewis scored tries for Army while freshman Mackenzie Borchers kicked two penalties on top of kicking duties. Summer Harris-Jones, Jesah Haun and Ciara Lambert dotted down for Life. Army’s match report.
Army’s B side then beat Boston University 74-7.
• MOUNT ST MARY’S 19-15 NAVY
The Tier 2 Mountaineers took down the DI independent Midshipmen, which had lost to Army 50-0 the week prior. Freshman Ubaida Ahmed scored two tries, while graduate student Molly Stocker added the third, but it was freshman Maya Grassic’s two conversions that provided the winning margin. Mountaineers’ match report.