NIRA Championship Game: No. 1 Dartmouth at No. 3 Army on Saturday

GAME 9 – NIRA Final
No. 1 Dartmouth (8-0) at No. 3 Army (7-2)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 20
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: West Point, N.Y.
All-Time Series: Dartmouth leads, 7-0
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THIS WEEKEND
Here we go. For the first time since 2018, the No. 1 Dartmouth women's rugby team has worked its way to the NIRA Championship. It will take on No. 3 Army in West Point, New York, in a Saturday-night game.

FAN INFORMATION
All spectators over the age of 18 must bring a government issued ID. Those who arrive at 5 p.m. or later may proceed directly to Stony Lonesome Gate (1 Stony Lonesome Road, West Point, NY). Fans who arrive before 5 p.m. are required to go to the West Point Visitor Control Center (2107 New South Post Rd., West Point, NY) to obtain a Local Area Credential. Wait times may vary.

DARTMOUTH AND ARMY IN THE POSTSEASON
This is the first time that the Big Green and the Black Knights will be meeting in the final.

Since going varsity in 2015, Dartmouth has made it to the title game twice. In 2017, it fell to Quinnipiac, while in 2018, it took down Harvard. Two years ago, the Green fell to Harvard by a single point.

The Black Knights have also advanced to the championship game twice: the first in 2015 when they fell to then-powerhouse Quinnipiac, the second coming in 2019 at the hands of the Crimson.

NIRA CHAMPIONS: THE LIST
Dating back to the Green's first year of varsity status, here are a list of the champions from each season. Quinnipiac leads with three titles, while Harvard and Dartmouth each have one.

2015: Quinnipiac
2016: Quinnipiac
2017: Quinnipiac
2018: Dartmouth
2019: Harvard
2020: No season due to COVID-19
2021: To be determined…

LAST TIME OUT
Top-seeded Dartmouth defeated No. 4 Brown in the NIRA Semifinal at Brophy Field last Saturday, 56-5.

Ten tries were scored by five different players, being led by Lilly Durbin with four, which was good for 20 points. Kristin Bitter was close behind with two tries and a pair of conversions for a total of 14 points.
Dartmouth saw tries by Sophie Ragg, Bitter (2), Ale Ada (2), Durbin (4) and Nicole Ihensekhien.
With the victory, the Big Green secured a spot in the final for the third time in program history.

LEADING THE WAY
After her four-try performance in the semis, Durbin is back in first among the Big Green with 70 points from a team-leading 14 tries. Bitter, too, had a great game and has moved up to third with 59 points, sitting just behind Abbey Savin with 65.

SCOUTING THE BLACK KNIGHTS
After suffering its first loss of the season to Dartmouth on Sept. 19, Army ended the regular season by winning four of the last five games, beating Quinnipiac, Mount St. Mary's, Sacred Heart and Penn State while falling to Harvard, 22-7. Meeting the Crimson for the second time in two weeks in the semis, it was the Black Knights that got the important win this time, 25-17.

Schedules