Harvey earned AIC Player of the Week / Photo courtesy AIC Athletics
There were a couple more close games within the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) last weekend, lending better insight into how teams sort strength wise. There were also some landslide wins, as well as a kicker of a non-conference match.
RELATED: NIRA Home Page • Women’s Rugby Results: Sept. 22-24 • NIRA Leading Point Scorers*
* Tally will be updated for last weekend’s games once Harvard reports its full box score
Norwich 45-31 Brown
The teams were separated by single digits into the second half, but then a trio of Norwich (2-1) tries gave the Cadets the cushion they needed to beat Brown (0-1). Sophomore Caitlin Heale of Christchurch, New Zealand, scored three Norwich tries, and Sheila Decker also added 15 points (try and five conversions) in the win. Louise Leitao and Marion Sellier accounted for Brown’s five tries. Norwich will host Army this weekend, while Brown faces Harvard in an Ivy/NIRA game Sunday.
Tries: Heale 3, Decker, Tavake, Zambon, Bloom
Cons: Decker 5
Tries: Sellier 2, Leitao 3
Cons: Duba 3
Dartmouth 45-7 Army
Big Green freshmen Lilly Durbin (5) and Idia Ihensehkien (2) scored the team’s tries against Army and helped Dartmouth improve to 2-0 in NIRA play. Durbin is a USA 7s Eagle and Ihensehkien hails from Milton, Ont., Canada. Dartmouth will play its first Ivy League match Saturday against Princeton. Army is now 1-2-1 in NIRA and will face Norwich this weekend.
Tries: Ihensehkien 2, Durbin 5
Cons: Ramage 4, Johnson
Tries: Stipp
Cons: Gable
AIC 100-7 West Chester
The Yellow Jackets (1-1) got their first win of the varsity season and saw Elizabeth Harvey lead all point-scorers with 45 on five tries and 10 conversions. The effort earned the junior AIC Player of the Week (read more). West Chester (0-2) got its points from Lili Riley. AIC will host Quinnipiac this weekend, while West Chester will play a non-conference game against DI Mason Dixon’s Pittsburgh.
Tries: Harvey 5, Lymas 4, Clark 3, Alatini 2, Kahele, Latu
Cons: Harvey 10
Tries: Riley
Cons: Riley
Bowdoin 41-36 Sacred Heart
A truly thrilling match evolved between these two teams, but the Polar Bears held off a relentless Pioneers side. Bowdoin (1-0) spread its seven tries across seven players, while team-leading try-scorer Isabel Cuddy (11) crossed the try line four times. Sacred Heart (2-1) plays the University of New England this weekend, while Bowdoin takes on Castleton.
Tries: Zuklie, Schutzer, Bersani, Jaques, Gomezgil Yaspik, Kent, Lewis
Cons: D’Angelo 3
Tries: Cuddy 4, Brisbane, penalty try
Cons: Hale 2, penalty try conv
Harvard 130-0 Mount St. Mary’s
We’re still waiting on the full box score (and until then, the league’s points-scored tally cannot be updated), but 10 players scored 20 tries for Harvard in Saturday’s shutout. Milan Roberts, Delia Hellander, Caitlin Weigel, Dominque Cantave, Jenny Knonish, Sabrina Kim, Brooklyn Davis and Robyn Beese all crossed the try line. Kronish, Hellander and Weigel added conversions.
NON-CONFERENCE
Life University scored 40 points before Notre Dame College (1-0) sent Danielle Walko-Siua into the try zone for the team’s lone score. Alyssa Riedel added the conversion in the 52-7 loss. The Falcons will play its fourth non-conference match this weekend against Penn State, another DI Elite team.
This match came through on drama, with comebacks and lead changes to keep the crowd on its feet. Both teams will be better for the competition. The Bobcats scored six tries, with Ilona Maher and Rebecca Haight scoring two each, and the Nittany Lions scored five spread across five players. Quinnipiac will play AIC this weekend.
Quinnipiac 36
Tries: Maher 2, Haight 2, Schussler, Roskopf
Cons: Wesolowski 3
Penn State 27
Tries: Nalbandian, Carly, Weisser, Pyrz, Canett
Cons: Cantorna
After its match against LIU Post was canceled, the University of New England picked up a match against the University of Maine, which plays its regular-season ball in the DII New England Small College conference. Junior Zoe Adams led all point-scorers with 22 on two tries and six conversions. Senior Lara Murnik scored three tries as well. The Nor’easters will play Sacred Heart this weekend.
New England 59
Tries: Murnik 3, Adams 2, Paredes, Drumheller, Stritch, Rees
Cons: Adams 6, Foss
Maine 30
Tries: Magnan, Patterson, Piccininni, Snieckus
Cons: Aydlett 2
Pens: Aydlett 2