HANOVER, N.H.– The No. 2 Harvard women's rugby team fell in the NIRA National Championship game to No. 1 Dartmouth, 19-14, despite two tries late in the second half.
The only try of the first half came at the 14-minute mark for Dartmouth's first-year Ariana Ramsey, who broke through the Crimson defense for the first score of the game.
The first half was a defensive battle on both sides, as both had tries called back for forward passes.
Dartmouth kicked off the second half with a try from Dartmouth's senior Camille Johnson just two minutes into the half, followed by another score 13 minutes later to make it 19-0.
The Crimson responded with plenty of pressure on the Dartmouth end of the field, beginning with a big run from senior Caitlin Weigel, which set up a try for sophomore Arianna Romero at the 22-minute mark of the second half. Senior Jenny Kronish added a conversion from the left hashmark to cut the deficit to 19-7.
Harvard kept the pressure on Dartmouth, scoring a penalty try with five minutes left to draw the Crimson to within five.
Harvard Highlights:
- Romero came in off the bench and provided a late spark for Harvard, scoring a try in the 22 minute.
- Weigel set up two chances on the Dartmouth side of the field with long runs through the defense.
Game Notes:
- This was the team's first appearance in NIRA Championship.
- Harvard moves to 3-7 all-time against Dartmouth in 15s play, including a victory in the Ivy championship game in October.
