The women’s portion of the USA Rugby weekly club recap is written by Jackie Finlan / TRB and featured below. Note the change in red that will hopefully be reflected in the original article soon.
ATLANTIC NORTH
In DII Empire, Morris’ Hannah Septoff scored one minute into the match against Uticuse, but that was the end of the scoring for the New Jersey side. The upstate New York team rallied with tries through Victoria Davis (2), Christine Carpenter and Sydney Scannell, who also kicked two conversions, for a 24-5 win. It marked the Lions’ first (non-forfeit) loss of the fall.
Lauren Mollenthiel’s hat trick led Danbury to a 38-5 win over Union, and Brooklyn banked a 71-21 win over Long Island. No team is undefeated in this league, and there are still three weeks of regular-season play.
In DII New England, it doesn’t get much better than Providence vs. Worcester. Both teams produced two tries, but Providence’s two conversions afforded the 14-10 win.
“Worcester is definitely our biggest competition every year and really tests us as a team,” Providence captain Tiara Mack explained. “The game really came down to being calm under pressure and possession throughout the majority of the game. We were able to force errors on their back line by putting them under pressure, we were able to poach balls by being quick to the rucks, and we were able to capitalize on mistakes in the lineouts. Their scrums proved to be dominant in the first half—winning their ball and ours— but our scrum came together in the second half to win clean ball for our backs and play our fast-paced game.”
Both teams are 4-1, but Worcester (20) has more bonus points than Providence (17) to lead the standings. Hartford beat Charles River 39-21, and Albany defeated Burlington 41-17. There’s one more round of league play before a DIII crossover match and then NERFU playoffs.
In Division III, Amoskeag held off Seacoast 22-19 to remain undefeated, and South Shore picked up a 42-12 win over Upper Valley.
EAST (DI)
Atlanta debuted in the DI East with a 46-7 win over visiting D.C. Furies.
“We are excited for the opportunity to learn and grow against some of the best teams in the country,” Atlanta head coach Rebecca Martin considered the promotion into DI. “We have a lot of work to do and we are really pumped for the opportunity to work for one another.
“D.C. is a relatively familiar team with even a handful of former Quins playing for them now,” the coach added. “It didn’t breed comfort though. D.C. is a team that’s very good at making you uncomfortable. There is a lot of love and respect between the two teams and we were happy for the chance to host them in Atlanta last weekend.”
It took nearly 20 minutes for the scoreboard to light up, but then Hannah Twilley scored to kick off a 29-point run. Furies No. 8 Sharifa Love-Schnur snapped the shutout, but then Sherri Kelly, Janay Peacock and Carolyn Mackey finished with tries.
Boston traveled with 16 players to Charlotte and gutted out a 34-33 thriller in North Carolina. The visitors built a nice lead in the first quarter, as Olivia Bacon, Isabel Haber, Emma Santosuosso and Margaret Reiss all scored, but then Charlotte came rallying back through Elizabeth Gijon, Julia Rebellon and Amanda Watkins. With Maddy Clark’s penalty, the home side trailed 22-18 after 40. The teams traded scores in the second half, and then Charlotte ended with back-to-back tries in the final 10 minutes, but neither conversion fell over: 34-33.
There were three first-half lead changes between Philadelphia and Raleigh, and then the former pulled away in the second half for a 39-12 win. Six players scored seven tries, with prop Caitlin Jackson doubling up in the try zone.
MID-ATLANTIC
The three undefeated teams – Severn River, Doylestown and Harrisburg – were off this weekend, although the Harlots were supposed to play Chesapeake, which forfeited. Meanwhile Phoenixville cruised to a 91-5 win over Brandywine. Eight players scored 13 tries (flanker Caroline Drumgoole scored three), and since the Riot did not have uprights, all 13 conversions were awarded automatically. (Phoenixville opted to attribute these conversions to the try-assist player in the CMS, instead of using “team score,” so that category of the official stats is inaccurate.)
James River also beat Norfolk 52-31 to improve to 2-2 and got a big performance out of Victoria Byrd, who scored three tries and converted five for 25 points. Both of Saturday’s victors – James River and Phoenixville – are in the top half of the standings.
In Division III, 4-0 South Jersey scored 19 tries to Lehigh Valley’s one. No. 8 Gabriella Wood dotted down six times, while fullback Jamie Lynn Fortuna led all scorers with 40 points on two tries and 15 conversions. York & Lancaster only had 16 players for its match against Philadelphia but triumphed 24-12. Kayla Robison, Colleen Herbert, Jessica Walker and Alyssa Stefanadis scored for the victors. In the southern pool, Rappahannock improved to 2-1 with a 59-10 win over Frederick. Scrumhalf Ellie Cassetta led with three tries.
MIDWEST
The Chicago Lions continue to top the Division I standings, adding a bonus-point win, 52-10, against 0-7 Wisconsin. Most of the Lions’ tries were finished through the backs, save one from flanker Margaux Paris. Wing Aleia Bellcross led all scorers with 17 on six conversions and a try.
Metropolis leapfrogged Chicago (4-2) in the standings after a 70-5 win over Detroit and now sits in second with 23 points and 4-1-1 record. The Valkyries will round out league play against Wisconsin and Chicago the next two weeks.
Division II produced a pair of interesting matches, both in the East Gold. Buffalo and Pittsburgh Forge were both 3-0 heading into last weekend, and the former triumphed 33-17. After falling behind early, Buffalo established a lead 7-5 lead at 30 minutes, courtesy of Nicole Faulise’s try and Jenna Hutzler’s conversion, and built from there. Fullback Mackenzie Dirlam, who scored all three of the Forge’s tries, helped close in at the 60-minute mark, but another three scores from Chelsea Palmer, Katryna McKenna and Asha Glorioso closed out the match.
On the other side of the pool, South Buffalo held off Cleveland 43-39. The upstate New York team took a 29-10 halftime lead, but then the Ohioans rallied with 29-straight points. Cleveland held that 39-29 lead until the 67th minute, when South Buffalo’s Erin Risto and then Hannah Riccardi dotted down. Two more conversions from Jamie Gage afforded the four-point win.
In East Green, the 4-0 Cincinnati Kelts beat Fort Wayne 47-7, and Columbus, also 4-0, picked up a forfeit win against Louisville. The two undefeated teams will end the regular season against each other.
In the West, Palmer College banked another bonus point win: 70-5 against Twin Cities. The Iowa program has only allowed 22 points against in five games. For the season, Claire Tomashek leads all point scorers with 93 on five tries and 34 conversions, while Skyler Zawko leads all try scorers with nine. Minneapolis Menagerie only trailed Oconomowoc by three points at the half, but then the Wisconsin side ramped it up with five-straight tries through Amanda Christianson, Angelina Yang (2), Alyssa Kalusche and Katie McNeil in the 45-24 win.
PACIFIC NORTH
Emerald City improved to 5-0 in the DII Pacific Northwest with a 39-5 victory over ORSU, finishing most of its tries through backs, save scores from hooker Amanda Bell and No. 8 Kayla Carter. The Mudhens are in firm control of the standings heading into the final week of the fall portion of the season. Bend is right behind the Seattle squad, having dropped a 20-point contest to Emerald City, and added a 64-5 win against Eugene to its fall resume. Portland tacked on five standings points with its 36-8 win over Boise United, while Tacoma took the forfeit win against Chuckanut Bay. In non-league action, South Sound ended the fall with a 60-11 win against Emerald City’s B side.
SOUTH
Carolinas-Georgia leaders Augusta and Savannah, both 2-0, were idle this weekend, but Eno River and Southern Pines picked up their first wins of the DII season. Eno River beat Columbia 47-19, and outside center Kelsey Rene accounted for 25 of Eno River’s points, dotting down three tries and kicking five conversions. Scrumhalf Molly Caffelle and inside center Jamie Tolent scored two tries apiece in Southern Pines’ 39-0 win over Camp Lejeune.
In the True South, Memphis beat reigning GU champ Knoxville 31-20, a big turn-around for the Minx after years of lopsided scores. Memphis held a 31-5 lead until the final 10 minutes – a finishing aspect of the game that head coach Tim Brennan will address going forward.
“Had a bunch of happy girls and happy coaches,” Brennan said of the post-win reaction. “I always tell them, ‘It’s not a rivalry until you win a game,’ and it hasn’t been a rivalry for five years. There’s always a bit of excitement when you beat somebody you haven’t beat in a while, but winning this game was more about a sense of accomplishment. Everyone felt good about the work they put in.”