Towson knew it was in for a good season after its win against Salisbury. /// Photo: Linda Zvitkovitz •
Nothing jumpstarts that post-season verve like a thrilling final week of league play. Last weekend’s DII Capital games – which included single-digit decisions and surges of force – finalized this weekend’s quarterfinals. Remember that this Maryland-Virginia competition holds its conference championship in the fall and then competes in the national spring playoffs.
For the first time in conference history, the final will not feature Mary Washington and Salisbury, as the duo will meet in the Round of 8 Saturday. Salisbury finished behind Towson and UMBC in the north pool, while Mary Washington won a very competitive south pool that featured three 3-1 teams. Mary Washington won quarterfinal hosting rights after a 74-5 win over William & Mary Saturday. Jenn Moreland led all point-scorers with five tries, while Bernice Kear accounted for 20 points on four tries. Gail Crunkhorn, Sidney Casey and Ebony Clarke also dotted down, while Ashleigh Holzworth kicked seven conversions.
The south’s Old Dominion topped Virginia Commonwealth 14-7 Saturday to also secure a home match against central pool’s George Mason (which lost 29-19 to Maryland Saturday) this weekend.
But the game of the weekend didn’t necessarily have playoff implications other than seeding. Rivals Towson and UMBC entered their match undefeated, and the former emerged with a 34-27 win, which afforded the home game in the quarterfinals.
“We had a big chip on our shoulder from when we had to forfeit our quarterfinal last year due to an alcohol violation,” Towson coach Sara Nittinger said. “But they really made a huge culture change in the program. The captains have led it all and deserve all the credit.”
Captains Rose Kalala at No. 8 and Sandy Zvitkovitz at scrumhalf are the driving forces at Towson, and they’re joined by a big group of seniors indulging in their last go of collegiate rugby. After early-season wins against Maryland and Johns Hopkins, a 58-17 victory over Salisbury signaled a special season in the making. As the league drew to a close, a friendly against women’s club Severn River proved very beneficial.
“We made a lot of corrections based on that Severn River game, specifically with our back line defense – spreading wide, matching numbers,” Nittinger explained. “They worked really hard last week in preparation for UMBC, because we knew it was going to be tough and close.”
Towson will now play the central pool’s third-place team, American, at home Saturday, while UMBC travels to George Washington, which snapped its undefeated record with a 17-10 loss to Georgetown Saturday.
“We’re going to focus on keeping everyone healthy and trying to keep the chemistry we’ve got going right now,” Nittinger looked ahead. “We’ll keep working on our back line defense and plays, and executing at a high level.”
Saturday’s victors will move onto the final four Nov. 5-6 in Fredericksburg, Va.
Capital Conference Playoffs
Oct. 29 Quarterfinals
Match 1: American (central #3) @ Towson (north #1)
Match 2: UMBC (north #2) @ George Washington (central #1)
Match 3: Salisbury (north #3) @ Mary Washington (south #1)
Match 4: George Mason (central #2) @ Old Dominion (south #2)
Nov. 5 Semifinals @ Fredericksburg, Va.
Match 5: Winner #1 vs. Winner #4
Match 6: Winner #2 vs. Winner #3
Nov. 6 Finals
For a full list of club, college and high school results from last weekend, click here.