SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Norwich University women's rugby team returned to the national stage on Saturday afternoon, opening the 2025 Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) Women's Division II 15s National Tournament with a Sweet 16 matchup against top-seeded Wisconsin-Eau Claire.  The Cadets fell to the Blugolds, 62-19, at the Allison SportsTown complex in Springfield, Missouri.

Eau Claire built an early lead behind a potent offensive start, but the Cadets showed resilience in the second half, chipping away at the margin with a pair of tries and a strong push in the final stretches.

Confirmed scorers for Norwich included senior captain Alyssa Gioia (Stamford, Conn.) and junior standout Carlyan Vigbedor (Centreville, Va.) with a try apiece, while flyhalf Octavia Crawford (Shelburne Falls, Mass.) added a successful conversion kick.

With the loss, Norwich will move into the West Regional Third-Place Game on Sunday afternoon.  The Cadets will square off against the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) at 1:30 p.m. EST.  UTSA dropped its opening contest to Winona State, 41-19.

A full recap with updated scoring breakdown and statistics will be published as soon as they become available.