Harvard Women’s Rugby Nab Second in Ivy Championship Tournament

Defending champion Harvard hosted the Ivy 7s Championship tournament this weekend — giving the team an opportunity for redemption after a loss against Dartmouth in the last tournament — but was forced to settle for second place after falling to the Big Green once again.

The Crimson faced Princeton, Dartmouth, and Brown over the course of the day before playing Dartmouth again in the championship match.

Harvard 27, Princeton 7

Princeton kicked off Harvard’s first match, and both teams put in early heavy tackles. Junior outside back Cameron Fields opened her contributions for the day two minutes in, covering two-thirds of the field to put five points on the board — with sophomore scrum-half Ava Ference completing the conversion.

Junior wing Lennox London was able to get her first try of the day before the half. The dying seconds saw junior captian Nafanua Malietoa Fitisemanu fend off multiple Tigers to break through down the middle of the field, before being caught just before the posts.

Harvard came out in the second half looking to continue momentum, but Princeton drew itself back into the game, breaking down the field. Junior outside back Victoria Stanley made a last-ditch defensive effort to prevent the try, clipping the player, but it wasn’t quite enough to prevent the Tigers from clawing their way to some point to bring the game to 12-7.

The Crimson responded with cross-field passing play and a break for the line from London. Freshman back Dana Greer got on the score sheet at the opposite side of the pitch for Harvard to draw ahead 22-7.

London saw the game out 27-7, weaving through players to score under the post.

“Princeton is always a good team for us to play against because we like trying new things and seeing what works and what doesn’t,” Fields said. “The win against them early on gave us some more confidence going forward and allowed me to find new ways to get involved in play.”

“The team showcased their perseverance and willingness to adapt in that game, which fueled us for the next few games,” she added.

Harvard 17, Dartmouth 22

In Harvard’s first game against Dartmouth of the day, the Big Green started with possession. However, a huge tackles from London, Fields, and junior center Tiahna Padilla forced the turnover.

The Crimson was forced to play possession in its own try zone, and the Big Green punished the team to take the lead 5-0.

Off the kickoff, Dartmouth connected, and a Big Green player slipped through the grasp of the Harvard defense to make it 10-0.

Before half, the Crimson finally was able to get off the mark through a Fields try zone to try zone carry. This brought the game within five points, with the score standing at 10-5.

The second half started similarly to the first with a misplaced tackle by Harvard, giving Dartmouth the chance to score less than a minute in and bringing the game to 17-5.

The Crimson responded quickly with London dashing down the line, despite a tackle bringing her to the ground before the try zone. Determined, she made it over the line, 17-10.

Fields continued her streak for the day, fending off multiple players to tie up the game 17-17 with a minute to go.

Last-ditch tackles from Ference kept the game even. The timer was out, but there was still time for one more play. The Big Green found a free player on the wing to finish the game, 22-17, despite a persistent fight from Harvard.

Harvard 26, Brown 7

Stanley stormed out of the blocks at the first whistle in Harvard’s third game of the tournament, securing the first try of the game.

Brown pushed territory on the Crimson and eventually made it across the try line and then converted to make it 7-5 to the Bears.

With the clock at zero for the half, Harvard had one last opportunity to score. Fields again broke the Brown defense, getting the try. The ever-clinical Ference converted to give the Crimson the lead.

After the break, Fields and Ference continued their flow, with Fields holding off players to score under the posts and Ference converting again. 19-7.

Stanley and Fields continued to make big impact tackles at the back, but Brown was able to maintain possession.

It felt as if the game was over with the buzzer going and the Bears in possession, however Greer intercepted at the halfway line and carried it home for the game to end 26-7.

Harvard 5, Dartmouth 27

The championship game featured the same match-up as the Emperor 7s tournament where Harvard fell to Dartmouth. The Crimson — on home turf this time — hoped to reverse its fate.

The Harvard team began the game with a succession of clean passes in its half, but a forward pass turned the ball over. The Big Green punished the Crimson putting five points on the scoreboard.

After some loose balls, Harvard regained possession, and an opportunity for senior flanker Sofia Hilger showed to break through. A tackle brought her down with 35 yards to go, but Padilla took over and offloaded to Fields to carry it the final few yards. This tied up the game 5-5.

Dartmouth responded just before halftime. In a back-and-forth game, Harvard went into halftime down 10-5.

The Crimson came out quickly in the second half, applying pressure high on the Big Green after a loose pass. The team’s pressure paid off, and it won a 5-yard scrum. The team wasn’t able to convert on the opportunity with Dartmouth nullifying its chance.

Another scrum went the Big Green’s way and the team scored from the five-yard line inside its own half, despite a valiant full pitch chase from Ferrence.

The speed of Dartmouth was relentless, and it capitalized on its momentum, leading Harvard to fall behind, 20-5.

The Crimson continued to fight with Fields putting in a flying tackle to keep Dartmouth from furthering its lead. The pressure from the Big Green forced any hopes out of Harvard. The final score was 27-5, leaving Harvard to take second place.

“Dartmouth always gives us a good game and props to them for coming out strong this weekend,” Junior Tiahna Padilla said. “It’s always a back-and-forth record between the two of us and this adds fuel to the fire going into our next match up.”

The team is now shifting its sights to nationals in the coming weeks.

“We know that the season is a build and we’re looking to peak in two weeks time, " Padilla said. “So until then, it’s all about our connections, confidence and hunger to get back on the pitch. We also know there’s a target on our backs as the defending national champions so we just need to go out there playing like we have something to prove.”

– Staff Writer Rhiannon Stewart can be reached at rhiannon.stewart@thecrimson.com.

– Staff Writer Chandler Piggé can be reached at chandler.pigge@thecrimson.com.