The RPI team that defeated Marist last weekend. •
The DII Tri-State conference concluded its quarterfinals Sunday and moves into the final four this weekend. A loss this weekend doesn’t necessarily mean an end to any one team’s post-season, as the league receives three berths to the fall Round of 32. The championship and 3rd place matches will be held Nov. 6 at Siena College.
Vassar and Albany, the top two seeds, won their respective quarterfinals Sunday. The Brewers posted 15 tries in the 85-0 win over Fairfield, and sophomore fullback Rachel Elson accounted for 30 points on six tries. Prop Mariah Ghant contributed three tries, while flyhalf Mary Margaret McElduff, inside center Alicia Menard-Livingston, No. 8 Amanda Saich, lock Oshana Reich, scrumhalf Jennie To and outside center replacement Kayla Lightner also scored. McElduff added five conversions.
Vassar will now face #5 Siena College, which defeated #4 Stony Brook 37-29 Sunday, in the semifinals. This final four berth is big for Siena, which was coming off an 0-5 season last year, and finished this regular season 1-3-1. Senior No. 8 Kelly Phillips is the captain, and she’s accounted for 42 points thus far. Seventeen of those points were scored against Stony Brook, and coach Dmitri Zagorevski designated the leader the unequivocal MVP of Sunday’s match. Fullback Kelsey Silver has been crucial in the post-season, too, scoring six of her eight tries this fall in the playoffs. Silver was named conference Player of the Week two weeks ago.
Another upset occurred on the other side of the bracket, as #7 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) defeated #3 Marist 19-12 in the quarterfinals. RPI was in the news lately, as co-captain and No. 8 Tierney Morton was named conference Player of the Week on Oct. 19. The fifth-year senior had scored seven tries in two weeks and was big in sustaining an undefeated record thus far. RPI will travel to #2 Albany, which defeated Hofstra 28-0 in the quarterfinals, for this weekend’s match.
All four teams will then converge on Siena College on Nov. 5 to contest the Tri-State final and third-place matches. The Round of 32 (see bracket) begins Nov. 12, and the conference’s top seeds will host their respective opponents.
Tri-State Playoffs
Oct. 23 Quarterfinals
#1 Vassar 85-0 #8 Fairfield
#2 Albany 28-0 #6 Hofstra
#7 RPI 19-12 #3 Marist
#5 Siena 37-29 #4 Stony Brook
Oct. 30 Semifinals
Siena @ Vassar
RPI @ Albany
Nov. 5 Finals @ Siena College
Championship
3rd Place
For a full slate of weekend scores, click here.