Completed Event: Women's Rugby at Lindenwood on October 18, 2025 , Loss , 5, to, 12
Final
Women's Rugby
at Lindenwood
5
12
Saturday, November 11
Hanover, N.H.
12:00 PM
Dartmouth College
38
vs
8
Quinnipiac
Cindy Taulava wills her way into the try zone for one of her three scores.
Photo by: Ryan Yong
Big Green Down Quinnipiac in Semifinal, Championship Rematch With Harvard Awaits
11/11/2023 2:55:00 PM | Women's Rugby
Taulava’s three first-half tries were more than enough in the 38-8 victory
HANOVER, N.H. — Cindy Taulava needed less than 30 minutes to score three tries in the Dartmouth women's rugby team's 38-8 NIRA Semifinal victory over Quinnipiac on a chilly Saturday afternoon at Brophy Field. The Big Green, who will now play for their third consecutive NIRA title, will travel to Harvard to face the top-seeded Crimson in the championship match on Saturday, Nov. 18.
"The team has shown incredible adaptability and resilience this year," said head coach Katie Dowty. "We're a relatively young squad this year, which means our younger players are growing exponentially from week to week and I think there's a chance we're peaking at just the right time.
Each week they are learning to better exploit our strengths and find the opposition's weakness. We'll face an old foe next week, but we're a new team and I'm excited for this group to have their shot at the championship."
No. 3 Quinnipiac scored first, but was kept off the board for the remainder of the first half as No. 2 Dartmouth found its footing thanks to Taulava and carried a 21-5 edge into the break. The first-year scored all three tries within a span of less than 11 minutes. Abbey Savin was successful on each conversion.
Abby Kayser extended the lead early in the second half before Asialeata Meni and Hehea Pulotu tacked on additional scores. The Bobcats' only points of the half came from Fódhla Ní Bhraonáin's penalty kick.
Saturday marked Dartmouth's seventh straight win over Quinnipiac dating back to the start of the 2018 season. That dominant stretch includes last year's semifinal victory, a 47-14 trouncing at Brophy Field. Like 2022, a postseason win over the Bobcats signals a much-anticipated rematch with rival Harvard. The Big Green defeated the Crimson twice last year, including the NIRA championship, but came up short in the final seconds of the recent regular season matchup on Oct. 21.
The championship battle with Harvard is set to kick off at 4 p.m. at Mignone Field and fans can stream the action live on ESPN+.
FIRST HALF
18:25 – Taulava try and Savin conversion, 7-5
23:09 – Taulava try and Savin conversion, 14-5
28:38 – Taulava try and Savin conversion, 21-5
SECOND HALF
47:14 – Kayser try, 26-8
63:03 – Meni try, 31-8
74:20 – Pulotu try and Savin conversion, 38-8
"The team has shown incredible adaptability and resilience this year," said head coach Katie Dowty. "We're a relatively young squad this year, which means our younger players are growing exponentially from week to week and I think there's a chance we're peaking at just the right time.
Each week they are learning to better exploit our strengths and find the opposition's weakness. We'll face an old foe next week, but we're a new team and I'm excited for this group to have their shot at the championship."
No. 3 Quinnipiac scored first, but was kept off the board for the remainder of the first half as No. 2 Dartmouth found its footing thanks to Taulava and carried a 21-5 edge into the break. The first-year scored all three tries within a span of less than 11 minutes. Abbey Savin was successful on each conversion.
First half HAT TRICK for Cindy Taulava 🤯https://t.co/ZkJ9OsmBpU | @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/rjLmhy1f8a
— Dartmouth Rugby (@DartmouthWRugby) November 11, 2023
Abby Kayser extended the lead early in the second half before Asialeata Meni and Hehea Pulotu tacked on additional scores. The Bobcats' only points of the half came from Fódhla Ní Bhraonáin's penalty kick.
Saturday marked Dartmouth's seventh straight win over Quinnipiac dating back to the start of the 2018 season. That dominant stretch includes last year's semifinal victory, a 47-14 trouncing at Brophy Field. Like 2022, a postseason win over the Bobcats signals a much-anticipated rematch with rival Harvard. The Big Green defeated the Crimson twice last year, including the NIRA championship, but came up short in the final seconds of the recent regular season matchup on Oct. 21.
The championship battle with Harvard is set to kick off at 4 p.m. at Mignone Field and fans can stream the action live on ESPN+.
FIRST HALF
18:25 – Taulava try and Savin conversion, 7-5
23:09 – Taulava try and Savin conversion, 14-5
28:38 – Taulava try and Savin conversion, 21-5
SECOND HALF
47:14 – Kayser try, 26-8
63:03 – Meni try, 31-8
74:20 – Pulotu try and Savin conversion, 38-8
Players Mentioned
Center/Fullback
/ Women's Rugby
Hooker
/ Women's Rugby
Center
/ Women's Rugby
Flyhalf
/ Women's Rugby
Lock/Number 8
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