Appearing in their fourth consecutive Women's Collegiate Division II Capital Conference finals, Mary Washington hosted Towson University. Winning the first two conference championships, but losing last year, Mary Washington was hoping to regain the conference title.
Towson and Mary Washington were the top two seeds going into the conference championships. Both teams moved through the season with strong offenses, averaging 46 and 49 points per match respectively. Each side knew a strong defense was going to be important. Unfortunately, neither side managed to put a strong defense on the field.
In a game that saw 16 tries, 10 lead changes, a Towson 9 point lead, and a Mary Washington 10 point lead, the match was one of the most exciting in the women's rugby program at Mary Washington in several years.
From the opening kickoff, both teams excelled in ball possession. Each team was able to advance down the field with a series of well executed rucks and mauls; and when one team scored, it seemed to inspire the opposing team.
The scoring went as follows:
Towson (5-7)
UMW (Sydney Casey) (10-7)
Towson (10-12)
Towson (10-19)
UMW (Lani Budi / Jackie Sherman) (17-19)
UMW (Jenn Moreland) (22-19)
Towson (22-24)
UMW (Bernice Kear / Jackie Sherman) (29-24)
29-24 Halftime
UMW (Ellie Cassetta) (34-24)
Towson (34-31)
UMW (Ellie Cassetta / Jackie Sherman) (41-31)
Towson (41-36)
Towson (41-41)
UMW (Christine Bademian) (46-41)
Towson (46-48)
Unfortunately for Mary Washington, Towson scored on the final play of the matching, tying the game. With the conversion, Towson took the lead and won their first Capital Conference championship first time.
As the Capital Conference Champion Towson automatically qualifies for the USA Rugby Spring Championships. Mary Washington is hoping to reach the playoffs via an at-large bid.
The first round of the playoffs are April 22/23, 2017.