Army West Point Athletics
Friday, November 20
Providence, RI
11 AM
Army West Point
vs
AIC
Women’s Rugby Faces AIC in NCWVRA Semifinals
November 19, 2015 | Women's Rugby
WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point women's rugby squad will continue its run toward a national championship as the Black Knights head to Providence, RI, for a semifinal matchup with the Yellow Jackets of American International College.
Kickoff from host Brown University is slated for 11 a.m. ET with the second semifinal matchup to follow at 1 p.m., featuring Quinnipiac and Norwich.
HOW TO FOLLOW
As always, fans can visit www.GoArmyWestPoint.com for up-to-date information and follow the Black Knights on Twitter @ArmyWP_WRugby and Instagram @armywpwrugby.
THE GAME
The Army West Point women's rugby team will continue its run In the NCWVRA Championships, heading to host Brown University for an 11 a.m. matchup with American International in the semifinal round. The Black Knights are one of four teams remaining in the championships, as all four programs hail from the Northeast Conference.
Army knocked off Harvard in the opening round and will square off with an AIC team that is coming off of a victory over Ivy League foe Brown.
ARMY'S LAST TIME OUT
The Black Knights are coming off of a 58-21 victory over Harvard in the opening round of the NCWVRA Championships. Army downed the Ivy League's second seed with ease from Anderson Rugby Complex, as the win propelled the Cadets into the semifinal round.
"Overall we had an okay performance, to be fair," said head coach Bill LeClerc. "We had some sort of silly mistakes that ended up costing us extra points and opportunities. You can look at the score and say that's a good game but then you have to look at how we took advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves and how we responded to some pressure. To be fair, we were a bit lacking in some of those areas."
A hat trick from Lindy Clark and a pair of tries from Nicole Heavirland set the pace for Army, as Heavirland added an addition 11 points in her kicking game, contributing a total of 26 points on the afternoon.
Heavirland got the scoring started in the third minute, successfully converting her kick to put Army up by a score of 7-0. Clark dotted down three minutes later, with Heavirland again booting the kick, giving Army the 14-0 advantage.
In the ninth minute, Becca Stipp dotted down, giving Army the 19-0 lead. Heavirland would kick for points in the 22nd minute as Army jumped out to a 22-0 lead.
The Crimson got on the board following a restart in the 20th minute, as Hope Schwartz dotted down and Susie Clements converted, cutting the Black Knights' lead to 22-7.
In the 39th minute, Clark scored her second of the game, with Heavirland booting her third conversion of the afternoon to send Army into the break with the 29-7 lead.
Army kept the pressure on in the early moments of the second half, as Zye Crittington subbed into the game and scored a try in the 43rd. Heavirland's conversion gave Army the 36-7 advantage.
Four minutes later, Clark would complete her hat trick with Heavirland again converting the score as Army took the 43-7 lead. Vice-captain Chioma Odocha scored in the 53rd to put Army up 48-7.
In the 61st, Tranelle Patterson would drive down the center of the field, dragging a trio of Harvard defenders with her to give the Black Knights the 53-7 advantage.
Following a pair of scrums and three restarts on the try line, Harvard was able to score as Haley Langan finally touched the ball to the ground for the Crimson. Clement's kick sailed through the uprights and Harvard cut the Army lead to 53-14.
The Crimson kept the momentum going in the 71st as Genevieve Quiron found the try zone and Clements earned her third conversion of the afternoon, making the score 53-21 in favor of the Black Knights.
Heavirland capped the scoring on the afternoon in the 76th minute, securing the 58-21 victory for Army.
LAST MEETING
Army and AIC last met on Oct. 10 at Anderson Rugby Complex as the Black Knights were able to pull out a 19-17 win to improve to 2-0 over the Yellow Jackets on the season.
The Black Knights got on the board first as Kirsten Redmon found the try zone in the seventh minute. Her score was converted by Nicole Heavirland, putting Army up 7-0.
American International responded in the 11th minute, with a try and successful conversion to tie the game at 7-7. They would take the lead in the 22nd minute and entered the break with the 12-7 lead.
Army came out strong in the second half as Heavirland earned a try in the 44th minute to tie the game at 12-12.
AIC, however, would respond in the 55th minute, regaining the lead with a try.
The tide turned in Army's favor in the 69th minute when plebe Zye Crittington found an open gap in the middle and dotted down between the goal posts. Heavirland kicked in the easy conversion and the Black Knights took the 19-17 lead.
Both teams threatened in the final minutes of the contest, but the Army defense held strong as the Black Knights earned the 19-17 win.
ARMY-AIC HISTORY
The Black Knights and Yellow Jackets have met a total of four times in program history with each squad claiming two wins. AIC earned both wins during the 2014 season, while Army has knocked off its Northeast Conference foe in both meetings this season.
No team has been able to gain a stronghold on the series as each of the four meetings have been determined by three points or less. AIC earned 32-29 and 34-31 victories in 2014 while Army walked away with 29-26 and 19-17 wins in 2015.
Seven Black Knights have found the scoresheet against AIC on the season as both Nicole Heavirland and Ari Efaw have registered one try and two conversions. Becca Stipp has dotted down twice, with Hannah Whisnant, Lindy Clark, Kirsten Redmon and Zye Crittington each adding one try.
HEAVIRLAND SHARES AAA HONORS
Following her impressive performance in Army's wins over Navy and Harvard, sophomore Nicole Heavirland earned her second Army Athletic Association Athlete of the Week nod on Monday. Heavirland shares the honor with hockey goaltender Parker Gahagen.
Heavirland paced the women's rugby offense over the weekend, recording five tries, 11 conversions and one penalty kick in the pair of wins. Her offensive output accounted for 42 percent of the Black Knights' scoring on the weekend.
On the season, Heavirland has dotted down 13 times this season, tops amongst the Army squad. Serving as both fly half and kicker, she's also added 32 conversions and two penalty kicks in eight games.
This is the second Athlete of the Week honor for Heavirland this season. She first earned the distinction on Sept. 14 following a four-try performance in the win over eventual conference champion Quinnipiac.
CRITTINGTON NAMED AAA ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Entering the game in the early portion of the first half, following an injury to the team's vice-captain, Zye Crittington scored three tries in the Army West Point women's rugby team's 68-15 victory over Norwich. For her efforts, Crittington has been named the Army Athletic Association Athlete of the Week.
Sidelined due to injury, vice-captain Chioma Odocha left the contest early, forcing Crittington into the game at an unfamiliar position. Generally an inside center, Crittington quickly adapted to the wing position, dotting down in the 29th, 44th and 48th minutes.
The tries marked the second, third and fourth, scored in the plebe's young career, as she earned her first collegiate try in the win over American International two weeks prior.
CLARK GARNERS AAA RECOGNITION
Three first half scores in the Army West Point women's rugby team's 43-17 victory over conference rival Norwich earned firstie Lindy Clark Army Athletic Association Athlete of the Week recognition.
This is the first career AAA Athlete of the Week honor for Clark and the second consecutive week in which a member of the women's rugby team has earned the distinction.
Clark opened up the scoring for the Black Knights in the eighth minute, cutting the Norwich lead to 10-5. She scored again in the 11th minute to tie the game, as teammate Nicole Heavirland converted the score to put Army up 12-10.
The Cadets regained the lead with a try and conversion in the 16th minute, but Clark's third try of the afternoon in the 37th minute tied it up once again. Heavirland converted her second kick of the afternoon to send the Black Knights into the half with the two-point advantage. From that point on, Army held Norwich off the scoresheet, earning its first win over the national powerhouse in 15s action.
HEAVIRLAND COPS AAA HONORS
After leading the Army West Point women's rugby squad to a 29-24 victory over conference foe Quinnipiac, Heavirland was named the Army Athletic Association Athlete of the Week on Sept. 14.
This is the first AAA Athlete of the Week nod of the season and second of her career for Heavirland.
Competing in her first collegiate 15s game, Heavirland scored the opening try of the game for the Black Knights in the 38th minute of action, sending Army into the break down 14-7.
With the Bobcats holding a 24-12 advantage mid-way through the second half, Heavirland began her scoring onslaught, rattling off three straight tries in the 61st, 69th and 82nd minutes.
In the 69th minute she tied the game at 24-24 after successfully converting her own try. With stoppage time expiring, she found the try zone in the 82nd minute to put the Black Knights on top 29-24 and ensure the win.
In total, the Whitefish, Mont., native accounted for 22 of the team's 29 points on the afternoon.
MEET YOUR CAPTAINS
Leading the 2015-16 squad will be captain Mariah Caid-Loos and vice-captain Odocha.
Caid-Loos posted four tries in 15s action in the 2014-15 season before falling to injury. Odocha earned three tries in 15s action and four on the 7s pitch.
Since the start of the 2015-16 year, Caid-Loos has posted one score, while Odocha has earned three.
CLASS RINGS
The Class of 2016 received their class rings in a ceremony held at Trophy Point on Aug. 28, 2015. A time-honored West Point tradition, the Class of 2016's rings contain gold from 356 West Point graduates donated to the West Point Association of Graduates in addition to steel melted down from the World Trade Center.
UP NEXT
A win would advance Army into the final round where the Black Knights would face the winner of the Quinnipiac vs. Norwich contest. That game is slated for Sunday at 1 p.m., also from Providence, RI.
Kickoff from host Brown University is slated for 11 a.m. ET with the second semifinal matchup to follow at 1 p.m., featuring Quinnipiac and Norwich.
HOW TO FOLLOW
As always, fans can visit www.GoArmyWestPoint.com for up-to-date information and follow the Black Knights on Twitter @ArmyWP_WRugby and Instagram @armywpwrugby.
THE GAME
The Army West Point women's rugby team will continue its run In the NCWVRA Championships, heading to host Brown University for an 11 a.m. matchup with American International in the semifinal round. The Black Knights are one of four teams remaining in the championships, as all four programs hail from the Northeast Conference.
Army knocked off Harvard in the opening round and will square off with an AIC team that is coming off of a victory over Ivy League foe Brown.
ARMY'S LAST TIME OUT
The Black Knights are coming off of a 58-21 victory over Harvard in the opening round of the NCWVRA Championships. Army downed the Ivy League's second seed with ease from Anderson Rugby Complex, as the win propelled the Cadets into the semifinal round.
"Overall we had an okay performance, to be fair," said head coach Bill LeClerc. "We had some sort of silly mistakes that ended up costing us extra points and opportunities. You can look at the score and say that's a good game but then you have to look at how we took advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves and how we responded to some pressure. To be fair, we were a bit lacking in some of those areas."
A hat trick from Lindy Clark and a pair of tries from Nicole Heavirland set the pace for Army, as Heavirland added an addition 11 points in her kicking game, contributing a total of 26 points on the afternoon.
Heavirland got the scoring started in the third minute, successfully converting her kick to put Army up by a score of 7-0. Clark dotted down three minutes later, with Heavirland again booting the kick, giving Army the 14-0 advantage.
In the ninth minute, Becca Stipp dotted down, giving Army the 19-0 lead. Heavirland would kick for points in the 22nd minute as Army jumped out to a 22-0 lead.
The Crimson got on the board following a restart in the 20th minute, as Hope Schwartz dotted down and Susie Clements converted, cutting the Black Knights' lead to 22-7.
In the 39th minute, Clark scored her second of the game, with Heavirland booting her third conversion of the afternoon to send Army into the break with the 29-7 lead.
Army kept the pressure on in the early moments of the second half, as Zye Crittington subbed into the game and scored a try in the 43rd. Heavirland's conversion gave Army the 36-7 advantage.
Four minutes later, Clark would complete her hat trick with Heavirland again converting the score as Army took the 43-7 lead. Vice-captain Chioma Odocha scored in the 53rd to put Army up 48-7.
In the 61st, Tranelle Patterson would drive down the center of the field, dragging a trio of Harvard defenders with her to give the Black Knights the 53-7 advantage.
Following a pair of scrums and three restarts on the try line, Harvard was able to score as Haley Langan finally touched the ball to the ground for the Crimson. Clement's kick sailed through the uprights and Harvard cut the Army lead to 53-14.
The Crimson kept the momentum going in the 71st as Genevieve Quiron found the try zone and Clements earned her third conversion of the afternoon, making the score 53-21 in favor of the Black Knights.
Heavirland capped the scoring on the afternoon in the 76th minute, securing the 58-21 victory for Army.
LAST MEETING
Army and AIC last met on Oct. 10 at Anderson Rugby Complex as the Black Knights were able to pull out a 19-17 win to improve to 2-0 over the Yellow Jackets on the season.
The Black Knights got on the board first as Kirsten Redmon found the try zone in the seventh minute. Her score was converted by Nicole Heavirland, putting Army up 7-0.
American International responded in the 11th minute, with a try and successful conversion to tie the game at 7-7. They would take the lead in the 22nd minute and entered the break with the 12-7 lead.
Army came out strong in the second half as Heavirland earned a try in the 44th minute to tie the game at 12-12.
AIC, however, would respond in the 55th minute, regaining the lead with a try.
The tide turned in Army's favor in the 69th minute when plebe Zye Crittington found an open gap in the middle and dotted down between the goal posts. Heavirland kicked in the easy conversion and the Black Knights took the 19-17 lead.
Both teams threatened in the final minutes of the contest, but the Army defense held strong as the Black Knights earned the 19-17 win.
ARMY-AIC HISTORY
The Black Knights and Yellow Jackets have met a total of four times in program history with each squad claiming two wins. AIC earned both wins during the 2014 season, while Army has knocked off its Northeast Conference foe in both meetings this season.
No team has been able to gain a stronghold on the series as each of the four meetings have been determined by three points or less. AIC earned 32-29 and 34-31 victories in 2014 while Army walked away with 29-26 and 19-17 wins in 2015.
Seven Black Knights have found the scoresheet against AIC on the season as both Nicole Heavirland and Ari Efaw have registered one try and two conversions. Becca Stipp has dotted down twice, with Hannah Whisnant, Lindy Clark, Kirsten Redmon and Zye Crittington each adding one try.
HEAVIRLAND SHARES AAA HONORS
Following her impressive performance in Army's wins over Navy and Harvard, sophomore Nicole Heavirland earned her second Army Athletic Association Athlete of the Week nod on Monday. Heavirland shares the honor with hockey goaltender Parker Gahagen.
Heavirland paced the women's rugby offense over the weekend, recording five tries, 11 conversions and one penalty kick in the pair of wins. Her offensive output accounted for 42 percent of the Black Knights' scoring on the weekend.
On the season, Heavirland has dotted down 13 times this season, tops amongst the Army squad. Serving as both fly half and kicker, she's also added 32 conversions and two penalty kicks in eight games.
This is the second Athlete of the Week honor for Heavirland this season. She first earned the distinction on Sept. 14 following a four-try performance in the win over eventual conference champion Quinnipiac.
CRITTINGTON NAMED AAA ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Entering the game in the early portion of the first half, following an injury to the team's vice-captain, Zye Crittington scored three tries in the Army West Point women's rugby team's 68-15 victory over Norwich. For her efforts, Crittington has been named the Army Athletic Association Athlete of the Week.
Sidelined due to injury, vice-captain Chioma Odocha left the contest early, forcing Crittington into the game at an unfamiliar position. Generally an inside center, Crittington quickly adapted to the wing position, dotting down in the 29th, 44th and 48th minutes.
The tries marked the second, third and fourth, scored in the plebe's young career, as she earned her first collegiate try in the win over American International two weeks prior.
CLARK GARNERS AAA RECOGNITION
Three first half scores in the Army West Point women's rugby team's 43-17 victory over conference rival Norwich earned firstie Lindy Clark Army Athletic Association Athlete of the Week recognition.
This is the first career AAA Athlete of the Week honor for Clark and the second consecutive week in which a member of the women's rugby team has earned the distinction.
Clark opened up the scoring for the Black Knights in the eighth minute, cutting the Norwich lead to 10-5. She scored again in the 11th minute to tie the game, as teammate Nicole Heavirland converted the score to put Army up 12-10.
The Cadets regained the lead with a try and conversion in the 16th minute, but Clark's third try of the afternoon in the 37th minute tied it up once again. Heavirland converted her second kick of the afternoon to send the Black Knights into the half with the two-point advantage. From that point on, Army held Norwich off the scoresheet, earning its first win over the national powerhouse in 15s action.
HEAVIRLAND COPS AAA HONORS
After leading the Army West Point women's rugby squad to a 29-24 victory over conference foe Quinnipiac, Heavirland was named the Army Athletic Association Athlete of the Week on Sept. 14.
This is the first AAA Athlete of the Week nod of the season and second of her career for Heavirland.
Competing in her first collegiate 15s game, Heavirland scored the opening try of the game for the Black Knights in the 38th minute of action, sending Army into the break down 14-7.
With the Bobcats holding a 24-12 advantage mid-way through the second half, Heavirland began her scoring onslaught, rattling off three straight tries in the 61st, 69th and 82nd minutes.
In the 69th minute she tied the game at 24-24 after successfully converting her own try. With stoppage time expiring, she found the try zone in the 82nd minute to put the Black Knights on top 29-24 and ensure the win.
In total, the Whitefish, Mont., native accounted for 22 of the team's 29 points on the afternoon.
MEET YOUR CAPTAINS
Leading the 2015-16 squad will be captain Mariah Caid-Loos and vice-captain Odocha.
Caid-Loos posted four tries in 15s action in the 2014-15 season before falling to injury. Odocha earned three tries in 15s action and four on the 7s pitch.
Since the start of the 2015-16 year, Caid-Loos has posted one score, while Odocha has earned three.
CLASS RINGS
The Class of 2016 received their class rings in a ceremony held at Trophy Point on Aug. 28, 2015. A time-honored West Point tradition, the Class of 2016's rings contain gold from 356 West Point graduates donated to the West Point Association of Graduates in addition to steel melted down from the World Trade Center.
UP NEXT
A win would advance Army into the final round where the Black Knights would face the winner of the Quinnipiac vs. Norwich contest. That game is slated for Sunday at 1 p.m., also from Providence, RI.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Rugby
/ Women's Rugby
/ Women's Rugby
/ Women's Rugby
/ Women's Rugby
/ Women's Rugby
/ Women's Rugby
/ Women's Rugby
/ Women's Rugby
/ Women's Rugby
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