Vassar knocked off two-time defending champion Wisconsin – Eau Claire Sunday, 24-5, to claim the Women’s Division II national championship at SaberCats Stadium in Houston, TX. Fullback Jude Robinson was named MVP, leading the Brewers with four tries on the weekend.
The win avenges Vassar’s loss to the Blugolds in last year’s final, in which star scrumhalf Sophia Bailey suffered a broken ankle in the final moments, and Vassar lost by a single score. Sunday, Bailey played all 80 minutes, scored an 80-meter try and led from the front.
.jpeg)
“We knew what we were capable of last year, and this season we wanted to make sure we showed everyone what we were capable of,” said Bailey after the emotional win. “We had trust in our team, and I’m so proud of everyone.”
Vassar wasted little time in taking the lead, striking six minutes in. Bailey put the Brewers on the front foot with a gashing quick-tap from an Eau Claire penalty, and Robinson sliced through the retreating Bluegold defense for the opening try. Bailey did it all herself a few minutes later.
Eau Claire had just made a break deep into the Brewer end, the scrumhalf making a try-saving tackle to turn the ball over inside her 22. Two phases into attack, UWEC won a penalty at the breakdown and looked destined to score the leveling try, but a Blugold forward was penalized for an extra roll after the tackle, and Bailey quick-tapped and scampered 80 meters the other way.
.jpeg)
The unlikely miscues snowballed for Eau Claire when Vassar intercepted a pass deep in the Blugold end seconds later, leading to the Brewers’ third try in the space of eight minutes, dotted down by wing Leah Dourmashkin. The rest of the 72 minutes were evenly matched, with both sides seeing several opportunities.
Eau Claire finally cashed in on one 12 minutes into the second half to cut the deficit to two scores at 19-5. The Blugolds got on the front foot with a successful kick and chase, and outside center Margaret Behnke found some space on the edge a few phases later, grounding the try through two Brewer defenders.
The Bluegolds made a couple more threatening possessions inside the Vassar end in the third quarter, but the Brewer defense kept coming up with timely stops, and Dourmashkin re-extended the lead with her second try in the 67th minute. The Eau Claire line was well resourced and didn’t show any holes, but Dourmashkin created one with a massive fend, racing half the field.
Watch the match on The Rugby Network+.
