Providence, RI--The Providence College Women's Rugby Club bested the previously undefeated team from Temple University, 15-10, to capture its first-ever USA Rugby Women's National Collegiate Division II Championship on Saturday, April 30, at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. The championship is the first women's national club championship in any sport in College history.
This was Providence's second consecutive appearance in the national championship game. The victory avenged a 17-7 loss to Temple in the 2004 national title match and capped a perfect 13-0-0 year for PC.
The Providence College team, one of 122 women's rugby teams playing in Collegiate Division II, will move up to Division I play next year. The team advanced to the championship contest by defeating the University of Central Florida, 12-10, and Mary Washington College of Fredericksburg, Va., 36-22, in the national Elite 8 Tournament quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. Those victories occurred on the weekend of April 16-17 at the University of California-Santa Cruz.
Richard Ashfield, the Friars' fourth-year head coach, credited the Friars for overcoming the loss of nine players to graduation last May and advancing to the national "Elite Eight" tournament for the third consecutive year.
The Women's Rugby Club advanced to the national tournament this year by winning the New England and northeast regional championships in fall 2004, compiling a 10-0-0 record. The Friars outscored their five regular-season opponents by a 162-7 margin and defeated the University of New Hampshire in a one-game playoff to advance to the New England tournament.
The Friars then defeated Colby and Plymouth (N.H.) State to capture the New England title and turned back the State University of New York at New Paltz and Plymouth State again to claim the northeast crown.
In the championship game, PC took control early in the second half after a physical and fast-paced first half ended in a 10-10 tie. With approximately 25 minutes remaining, the Friars' Bridget Ryan '07 of East Granby, Conn., broke the tie when she scored on a five-point try. The Friars kept pressure in the Temple end for the remainder of the half.
PC's scores in the first half came on tries by Katie Pisano '08 of Orange, Conn., and Kim Ahern '06 of Oak Hill, Va. Ahern's score was set up by a spectacular dash and pass-off by Stephanie Jarem '07 of Avon, Conn. Other standouts in the victory included Jenna Lafayette '06 of Burlington, Vt., and Kathleen Ryan '07 of Walpole, Mass.
Pisano was the star of the weekend for the Friars in the quarterfinal and semifinal contests in Santa Cruz. She scored the winning two-point conversion against Central Florida and registered four tries against Mary Washington.
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