Dominant Performers Highlight Women D2 Final Weekend
Dominant Performers Highlight Women D2 Final Weekend
Alex Goff looks at the four teams left in the Women's D2 Spring Championships.
We're down to four teams in the Women's D2 College Spring Championships, and all to play for over the next two days.
Eckerd
The Sirens hammered George Washington in the first round of the national playoffs, taking down GWU 84-10. Leading that charge was the amazing Katherine Scheerer. The outside center logged—get this—44 points all on her own. She scored six tries and converted seven.
Stephanie Franz might have scored three tries in a playoff game, but she was a footnote. Quite the footnote.
But while Scheerer has dominated the scoresheet this season and is captain, it's not about one player—it wasn't be. Head coach Mike Geibel said this team has come together like no other, and the addition of some freshman talent, notably inside center Chloe Root, has allowed the likes of Scheerer to shine.
In the quarterfinals, everything stayed bright and shiny as Scheerer scored five tries with three conversions, and Franz notched two in a 53-12 dispatching of Coastal Carolina. (In seven league and playoff games this season, Scheerer has scored 165 points, or almost 24 a game.)
So, sure, everyone knows who to key on right? That might just open up the doors for someone else.
Salisbury
Eight teams played in the 1st round of the playoffs, while four took a bye to the quarterfinals. Salisbury was one of the bye teams, and so was Georgia. those two teams faced off in the quarterfinals in a game that was very close for 60 minutes.
During that time both teams took the momentum. Georgia fell behind 12-5 but scored twice to take a 17-12 lead. Salisbury scored twice to go ahead 24-17 only for Georgia to make it 24-22.
At 60 minutes it was 29-22 Salisbury, just a converted try between the two. But a yellow card to Georgia scrumhalf Jennifer Barto opened up the floodgates and Haley Sheldon, Sydney Hobbs, Haley Gee, and Sheldon again made it 53-22. By the time Georgia scored again the game was essentially done.
For Salisbury, it was a nice demonstration of how devastating they can be in finishing off a game.
Tulane
The top team in the South for some time, Tulane also got a bye to the quarterfinals and hammered another bye team, Kansas State, 68-5. This was Tulane's game all the way. Fullback Gwendolyn Leifer enjoyed plenty of space in which to attack and scored three tries. Wing Sarah Foster and center Rohen Turner scored two, with Turner adding nine conversions for 28 points total.
It was a complete victory, showcasing Tulane's impressive backline, and showing also that they haven't lost anything from the team that won it all last year.
Fresno State
No such rest for Fresno State, which played both rounds and managed to score 149 points in those two games. with scrumhalf Raquel Macias sparking the attack and scoring four tries in the wins over Long Beach State and Saint Mary's.
Fresno State spreads the wealth around but it's really a classic profile of a forward pack that wins the ball and a backline that races through to finish. Of the 23 tries Fresno State scored in those two playoff games, two were penalty tries, and only three were recorded by forwards.
Who Is Strong On D?
So the story is of teams that know how to score, and that means we look at defense. All have been impressive at times, but Fresno State has leaked tries of late, while Tulane and Eckerd seem to be able to shut anyone down. Maybe that will be the decider.
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