December 2 - Sunday’s Division II Championship will be a matchup of old guard versus new blood as UW Eau Claire seeks to secure their second consecutive national title against Vassar College – a team making its first appearance in the NCR postseason tournament. UWEC’s 39-17 victory over the University of Illinois was a rematch with no change in outcome, while Vassar pulled off a close, underdog victory against undefeated Coast Guard with a score of 48-38.
After a slow start, the University of Illinois found their strength in Alina “Longboard” Ampeh, who dominated as a ball carrier, tackler, and rucker throughout the entire match. Still, the Fighting Illini couldn’t keep the ball out of the hands of the UWEC offense for a large majority of the game.
Even though Vassar doubled the amount of points scored on Coast Guard all season during Saturday’s 80 minute semifinal, the Bears didn’t go down without a fight. Repeat, long strider breakaways made outside center Amanda Rose Konieczny seem unstoppable among a pick-and-go heavy gameplay. In the end, however, it was Vassar scrum half Sophia Black that led her team to victory with a hat trick of tries and strategic playcalling. She and the rest of her team will face the likes of UWEC and strong fullback Cerys Ridd on Sunday at SaberCats Stadium. The championship match kicks off at 2:00pm CT.
