Central Washington and Army after Saturday’s match. /// Photo courtesy CWU Women’s Rugby •
It was another interesting weekend in the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA), as four Tier I matches and two Tier 2 varsity games unfolded.
Central Washington played its first NIRA match of the season, welcoming Army to Ellensburg, Wash. The Black Knights entered the match 2-1, with its loss coming from Quinnipiac (32-19) in week one. Wildcat freshmen accounted for the first three tries, as Women’s Collegiate All-American Michel Navarro returned the opening kickoff for a score, and then Girls High School All-American Sui A’au followed with the first of her six tries. Read more about Central Washington’s 63-17 win over Army.
American International College (AIC) and Norwich were looking for their first Tier I win yesterday, and it was anyone’s game at the half. The Yellow Jackets led 17-14 at the break but pulled away in the second 40 for the 44-21 victory. All-American Bridget Kahele was influential as always and put in a multi-try performance for AIC. Read more for AIC’s match report and Norwich’s recap.
Nine different players scored for Harvard in the team’s 45-15 win over Brown, including freshmen Emily Prentice (Kent, Wash.), Delia Hellander (Morris, N.J.), Robyn Beese (Munich, Germany) and Dominique Cantave (Park Forest, Ill.). The match doubled as an Ivy League match.
Quinnipiac and Notre Dame College met on neutral turf – Pittsburgh’s Founders Field – for Saturday’s varsity match. As the fourth quarter approached, the Bobcats held a 10-5 lead, getting both of its tries from senior fullback Maggie Myles. The Connecticut team then posted four more scores from Hailey Wyatt, Jessica Maricich, Flora Poole and Karee Helgerson for the 30-5 win. Read more of Quinnipiac’s recap.
In Tier 2, Bowdoin raced out to a 24-0 halftime lead over Molloy, with three of its four tries coming from Paige Pfannenstiel. Molloy surged in the third quarter with three tries, but the Polar Bears pulled away for a 57-17 win. The senior flanker ended the day with five tries. Read more.
Later today, Castleton and Sacred Heart will contest their rematch in Connecticut. The Pioneers won the first meeting 45-10 (read more).