Photo courtesy of Winona State Women’s Rugby
And just like that, the first fall playoffs are ready to begin. The DII Northern Lights conference, which involves collegiate teams from Minnesota and North Dakota, will host its semifinals this weekend. The league champion, determined Oct. 29, will advance directly to the DII Fall Round of 32. Traditionally the league has received a second spot to the cross-conference playoffs, but seeds cannot be confirmed until USA Rugby circulates the fall championship brackets.
RELATED: Northern Lights Conference Home Page • Women’s Rugby Scores: Oct. 6-8 • DII College Fall Season Explained
This fall season, Northern Lights ran four pools – two of which were DII/NSCRO hybrids, and another two that were NSCRO only. Small schools Gustavus Adolphus and MSU Moorhead wanted tougher regular-season competition, joined the DII pools, and will now return to NSCRO for the post-season. As it turned out, Gustavus Adolphus finished second to Winona in the DII eastern pool, while MSU Moorhead went 0-3 in the western pool. UM Duluth, which finished third in the east, will thus advance to playoffs.
Last weekend saw the conference host crossover games between the hybrid pools, and coincidentally, those match-ups are replicated in Saturday’s final four. Winona (east) played St. Cloud State (west), and the Black Katts only led 26-14 into the second half. Winona – runner-up to now-DI Davenport at the previous two fall championships – cleaned up some handling issues and focused energy on offensive adjustments to pull away with a 79-14 win.
Photo courtesy University of North Dakota Women’s Rugby
When North Dakota played St. Cloud State, the team had to dip into the energy reserves to hold onto a 46-45 victory. That Sept. 30 match saw Emily Zok (2), Mallory Bemis (2), Emily Eichhorst, Lydia Westberg, Tahtina Martinez and Betsy Thompson all score tries, and Julie Wilberg’s three conversions proved crucial. The team used that momentum to defeat UM Duluth 35-21 last weekend and heads into the semifinals with four wins behind it.
Northern Lights SemifinalsSaturday, Oct. 14St. Cloud State (West #2) @ Winona (East #1)
UM Duluth (East #2) @ North Dakota (West #1)
Saturday, Oct. 28: 3rd Place Match
Sunday, Oct. 29: Championship
Nov. 11-12: Fall Round of 32
Nov. 18-19: Fall Rounds of 16 and 8
Dec. 2-3: Fall Final Four
Unfortunately, St. Cloud State has forfeited its match against Winona, and the reigning state champion will advance to the title bout directly. Hopefully the North Dakota vs. Duluth game occurs, and the victor will then plan for a trip to Rochester, Minn., for the final.
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