PALM COAST, Fla. – The Norwich University women's rugby team will get its long awaited rematch with No. 1-ranked and three-time defending USA Rugby Division I 15s national champions Penn State on Sunday.
Norwich (12-1, 6-0 NWRC) got tries from four different players and built up a 40-0 halftime lead en route to a 52-10 victory over the Univ. of Indiana in the USA Rugby/ACRA Fall 15s National Tournament Semifinals on Saturday.
Senior Vanessa Champagne (Saint Nazaire, Quebec) led Norwich with three tries, while freshman Ilona Maher (Burlington, Vt.) and Ally Day (Gorham, Maine) each scored twice. Freshman Alanna Girardin (Worcester, Mass.) scored a try and went 6-for-8 on conversions to round out the Cadets' scoring.
"We played awesome as a team today to get the win over Indiana," Champagne said. "We are certainly looking forward to a tough and physical fight against Penn State and we are prepared to leave everything out on the field tomorrow."
Norwich will face Penn State on Sunday at 2 p.m. after the Nittany Lions pulled away from Quinnipiac in the second half for a 38-12 win.
"We absolutely are excited to have the opportunity to play Penn State in the finals," said NU head coach Austin Hall. "Most people would agree we're the top 2 teams in the country, any time you can get that type of battle on the field, it's great for the game and the players. We are underdogs and we like that. The rivalry is there, we've beaten them in 7s but we want them in 15s."
Norwich is looking to win its third 15s national title and seventh overall. The Cadets fell 43-27 to Penn State earlier this season in each team's season opener. Penn State defeated Norwich 63-10 in the 2013 USA Rugby Division I 15s title game. Norwich scored a 17-5 win over Penn State in the 2013 USA Rugby 7s National Tournament semifinals.
The game will be video streamed live on USA Rugby TV with the link available on www.norwichathletics.com
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