Stage set for exciting D1-AA & DII Men's College semi finals
BOULDER, Colo. - The last four teams standing in Men's D1-AA & DII are set for a collision course on May 18th at Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City.
In D1-AA, three of the four semi finalists (Dartmouth, San Diego State, and Tennessee) were fighting for a D1-A (then CPD) semi final appearance at this time last year. They have since moved down, and are poised to compete for a National Championship against current titleholders Davenport.
In the quarterfinal matchups today, the eventual winners were clearly the best teams on the day, having each won convincingly. Dartmouth opened with a 42-12 victory over Stony Brook. Tennessee used a home field advantage to take care of Florida State 45-27. San Diego State pulled away from UC Santa Barbra in the second half to win comfortably, 47-25. Davenport had their hands full with Wisconsin, but strong defense starved the host Badgers of possession in the second half, and the Panthers would pull away for the 34-11 win.
This sets up some enticing semi finals, with seemingly no clear favorite at this time. Defending National Champs Davenport will face Dartmouth in a matchup of two very athletic and high scoring squads. On the other side of the bracket, San Diego State will face Tennessee. Both of these teams have proven they are dangerous from anywhere on the field, having each averaged over 45 points per game in the round of 16 and 8.
The DII semis are also shaping up to be barn-burners, and one team will have the luxury of a home field advantage.
Utah Valley University topped Call St Long Beach 34-13 this afternoon to claim their spot in the championships. They will make the easy 30-mile trip from Orem, UT to Rio Tinto Stadium where they will face Lindenwood University. The Lions from Lindenwood are sure to put up a fight with their dangerous and prolific attack.
The other two teams that round out the semi finals probably wish they could drive to their match as well. Towson will square off against Salisbury, two schools who are only a couple hours drive from one another in Maryland. Towson defeated Colgate 46-3, while Salisbury knocked off Eastern Carolina 41-9. Salisbury's offense has been nothing short of outstanding thus far in the playoffs, putting a total of 124 points on the board, and allowing in only 15 over the course of two games.
For complete box scores from day one and day two, as well as complete detiais regarding the championship weekend in Salt lake, visit:
D1-AA: http://tinyurl.com/6ud3a7y
DII: http://tinyurl.com/7e4cjnn
For updates on all the playoff action, recaps, photos and more, check out USA Rugby's Facebook and Twitter pages.
