GRR: Dartmouth Women
In the big Clash of the Titans in NIRA, undefeated Harvard edged Dartmouth 36-33, scoring in the late moments to take the victory.
Harvard struck early as freshman Gemma Ogoke powered through two Dartmouth defenders with a stiff arm. Maya Hilger capped off a movement to score Harvard’s second, and with the Skylar Jordan conversion Harvard led 12-0.
The big matchups in NIRA did not disappoint.
Dartmouth remains undefeated after beating Sacred Heart 43-29. SHU came into the game 2-0 in conference play; they lost last week to AIC but with a younger-than-usual lineup.
So really this was a game of two teams with strong playoff aspirations and it had the feel of a playoff game in many ways.
We’re ready for the NIRA DI season to open and we’ve got some changes.
The big change is that Lindenwood, having moved to NCAA DI for women’s rugby in 2024, are in the schedule now, rounding out a DI conference of 11 teams.
Dartmouth defeated Life University in quite emphatic fashion Saturday to win the CRAA Women's Premier 7s, taking the final 31-0.
This tournament once again lived up to its billing, providing outstanding entertainment for a strong fan following, and also giving fans some upsets, and plenty of drama.
Harvard's victory in the NIRA D-I final is yet another indication of how, at times, difficult games through the season can prepare you better for success than blowouts.
It's not that Dartmouth weren't a good team, far from it, but they were shaken when things didn't go their way—shaken sufficiently to make their comeback a bit more difficult.