HANOVER, N.H. - Harvard women's rugby fought hard against Dartmouth in an epic game in the NIRA Division I Championship on Saturday, Nov. 19, but the Crimson lost, 15-10, at the Big Green's Burnham Field. 

HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS

• Harvard scored two tries in the match. Charlotte Gilmour tallied the Crimson's first try of the game in the first half, and Cameron Fields posted Harvard's second try of the contest in the second half.
• The match marked one of the closest contests of the year for both teams. During the regular season, the two teams played in a narrow 31-29 decision for Dartmouth.
• The Crimson ended the season with a total of 73 tries, 29 conversions, and one penalty kick, tallying a total of 426 points for the 2022 fall 15s season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The match had a delayed start due to the DII NIRA Championship match going into overtime .
• From the start of the game, there was high energy coming from the players, the sideline, and the stands, with both teams' fans rallying in the cold.
• Dartmouth was the first to go on the scoreboard after the team landed a penalty kick, bringing the score to 3-0. This penalty came after a red card to Harvard, resulting in the Crimson competing down a player for the remainder of the game. 
• The Crimson was quick to respond, scoring the game's first try. Harvard moved within the Dartmouth five-meter line. With a scrum right on the line, the Crimson generated enough drive to push Charlotte Gilmour into the try zone, taking a 5-3 lead.
• Shortly after the Crimson scored, Dartmouth came back, scoring a try and conversion to bring the score to 10-5.
• The score at half was still 10-5 as neither team could score before the end of the first half.
• In the second half, Dartmouth gained a breakaway play and was able to be the first to score in the second half, moving ahead 15-5.
• Later in the second half, the Crimson remained in Dartmouth territory for a significant stretch with control of the ball.
• With time starting to run out, out of a scrum on the right side of the field, Morgan Reese made a pass left down the field until it reached Cameron Fields, where she made the run into the try zone. The score became 15-10 with 12 minutes left on the game clock.
• Both teams were close to scoring again, but as time ran out on the clock, the score remained 15-10, and Dartmouth became the 2022 NIRA Division I Champions. 

WHAT IS NEXT

This was the last match of the fall 2022 15s season. The Crimson will return in the spring for the 7s tournament season.