Davenport is the top-ranked team in Division II, and sometimes that spot can be a lonely place in terms of competition. But Davenport and Notre Dame College, now a DI varsity program, have shared a healthy rivalry that has helped both teams stay sharp over the years. On Saturday, however, the Panthers showed that their claws are a little sharper and banked a 26-12 win over the Falcons.

“I was happy with the win, although Notre Dame College came in pretty beat up and missing some players,” Davenport coach Greg Teliczan reported. “It was a tough, physical game from start to finish. Their scrums were very strong and worked us a bit. I felt we were very competitive in loose play, which killed us against them in playoffs last year.”

Davenport scored 19 points before Notre Dame College was able to cross the try line. All three tries came from All American fullback Danielle Ordway, and Hannah Tennant slotted the extras.

“Our backline moved the ball well at times, which enabled Dani to hit some gaps and find space,” Davenport coach Greg Teliczan explained.

The Ohio side sent Danielle Walko-Suia across for Notre Dame’s first converted try to make it 19-7 in the second half. The scrumhalf was one of the several walking injured, and the Falcons were also missing their two starting props and wing.

The death knell came from – you guessed it – Ordway. The flyer logged her fourth try of the game and Tennant her third conversion.

Notre Dame College went out on a good note, as Karmin Macedo scored a try to close the point differential, 26-12.

“Our whole team played well on defense the whole game,” Teliczan critiqued his team’s performance. “Makala Ferguson had a very strong game with many powerful runs that broke the line many times, and Julia Mayer was solid on defense.

“We did leave some points off the board,” the coach added, “missing two chip-shot penalty kicks and a straight-on conversion.”

Now 5-0, Davenport will play Ferris State and DI Kent State to round out October, and then take the top seed out of Great Lakes to DII playoffs. The fall Round of 32 begins Nov. 14, and Davenport is scheduled to host an at-large team. Should the Panthers win their opener, then they’ll move onto the Round of 16 in a to-be-named location, and face the winner of Illinois I vs. Ohio Valley II on Nov. 21.