The men’s Division I semifinals are set, and only the Atlantic Rugby Conference is invited, as Queens, Walsh and Belmont Abbey won their quarterfinals Sunday. Combined, the newly minted conference is 8-1 this postseason, with the only loss being friendly fire – Queens’ 45-28 defeat of Wheeling Sunday.
The closest contest of the weekend was Walsh’s 30-28 defeat of Marian at Fortress Obetz. Walsh jumped out to a 14-0 early lead. Marian scored the next two tries, sandwiching a Walsh penalty and making it 17-14 to the Cavaliers at the break.
Marian led most of the second half, including by two scores at 28-20, but the Cavaliers scored 10 unanswered points to take the win. The decider was the conversion of a try in the 70th minute. The Knights had their chances in the last 10 minutes, including the final few seconds, but couldn’t complete the comeback.
Walsh advances to face St. Bonaventure, 51-7 winners over defending champion Brown Saturday, in the semifinals Dec. 6 in Butler, PA. The Cavaliers and Bonnies tied, 25-25, in their regular season match Oct. 3 at Walsh.
Queens’ win over Wheeling was also a rematch of a draw from the ARC regular season. The Royals raced out to a 14-0 lead with a pair of early tries before Alex Nyamunda put the Cardinals on the board with a long range score.
Queens answered right back a few phases following a midfield scrum, pushing the lead back to two scores. Wheeling would cut the deficit with a try by Lawula Bata. Flyhalf Takudzwa Musingwini drew in defenders to make the last pass, and he kicked the conversion, pulling within a try of Queens, 21-14, at halftime.
The Royals scored first in the second half, and outscored Wheeling 24-14 to secure a return trip to the semifinals, where they’ll face crosstown rival Belmont Abbey, which makes its first foray into December postseason play after defeating Notre Dame 44-24 in Rio Grande, Ohio.
The Crusaders and Royals met in Charlotte in October, with Queens winning 47-19. The rematch is set for Dec. 6 in Knoxville, TN, with the winner booking a trip to Houston to play for a national championship Dec. 13.
The Bonnies are the only semifinalists with a national title to their name, winning in 2021. Queens finished runners-up in 2022 and 2024. Belmont and Walsh would be making their debuts in the championship game.
Matches will be streamed live on NCR's new streaming platform NCR TV. Last year's matches are available now for free replay. View the DI Brackets and streaming schedules on ncr.rugby.
