In the ever-present rivalry between residents of the East and West Coasts for dominance in all things, consequential and not, this weekend's women's club rugby action won the former some bragging rights. Princeton's team finished second in the nation after coming in as the No. 15 seed.
Although the USA Women's Rugby Championships were held at Stanford, no team west of the Allegheny Mountains competed in the Final Four. In fact, the four teams from the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union (MARFU) who received bids to the Sweet Sixteen each won its quarter of the bracket. When Navy, Penn State, Virginia and Princeton faced off in the semifinals, they highlighted what had been one of their region's most successful seasons in recent years.
The overachieving Tigers, the No. 15 overall seed and the fourth and lowest from the Mid-Atlantic Region, earned their position in the Final Four with a first-round 19-10 upset of No. 2 seed Illinois, and a round-of-eight 18-16 win over No. 7 Massachusetts.
On April 30, Princeton challenged No. 3 UVa., a team against which they had escaped with a narrow 5-0 victory earlier this season. The Cavaliers enjoyed success throughout the first half by pressuring the Tiger defense and opening holes across the field. Although the Princeton players prevented Virginia from building up the score, they never had a chance to focus on their own offensive drives and trailed, 10-0, at halftime.
However, the Tigers were not to be denied in their underdog run at the championship. A locker-room pep talk sparked an impressive second-half comeback. Just one minute into second-half play, junior Ruth Bryson scored a penalty kick that pulled Princeton to within seven. With 15 minutes left in the game, the Tigers deftly moved the ball down the field and capitalized on a try by sophomore Gretchen Tonnesen and a conversion by Bryson to tie the game. Bryson then scored her second penalty kick of the day with seven minutes left to put Princeton on top, 13-10.
"We were down at halftime," junior Natalie Johnson said, "but I don't think a single Princeton player doubted that we would win. UVa. is a first-half team, while we reach our peak in the second half, and we knew that they tend to get tired just as we start to get going."
Although the Cavaliers had two opportunities to knot the score in the game's final five minutes, they instead elected to go for the win. The Tigers' defense stopped them from advancing into the try zone each time, thereby propelling Princeton into the Div. I championship game for the first time since 2000.
"Winning that game [against UVa.] was really all we needed to feel like we had finally proven ourselves to everyone," Johnson said. "There was no way, at that point, that anyone could call our success a fluke."
Princeton's opponent, No. 12 Penn State, entered the finals with well-deserved confidence. Not only had the Nittany Lions breezed through the tournament to that point, but they also destroyed the Tigers earlier in the year, 42-0.
Penn St. controlled the game early, drawing first blood after 11 minutes on a converted try. Princeton quickly answered on another Bryson penalty kick, but those were the only points the Tigers recorded in the half. Penn St. added another try and conversion to build their lead to 14-3 at halftime.
Turnovers foiled Princeton's attempts at another second-half turnaround. Although Bryson added an unconverted try on the game's final play, the Tigers lost, 24-8.
"It would have been amazing if we had won," Johnson said, "but second place felt a lot like first considering all the challenges we faced this season to get all the way to the National Championship."
Although they fell just short against a determined Penn St. team, the Princeton women ruggers brought credit to their squad and to their school and thirst for another crack at the title next year.
"You have to win a lot of tough games to make it to a national championship," senior Kim Nortman said. "No one expected us to make it that far — we were the only ones who expected it. Finally being back as a national power is the perfect way to end."
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