Rugby Braves Nor’easter to Beat Dartmouth and Defend its Ivy League Title

The Harvard women’s rugby team braved the wind and rain this weekend, thrashing Dartmouth 31-7 on Friday as a Nor’easter swept across New England. With the rivalry victory, the Crimson defended its Ivy League Championship and extended its winning streak to 16 consecutive games.

The match got off to a slow start, with the scoreboard deadlocked at zero until Harvard went on a blistering run and scored 17 points in just 15 minutes.

The Crimson (3-0) ended the first half with a 17-7 lead, even though the Big Green (1-2) tallied seven points in the last thirty seconds.

Harvard reasserted its dominance in the first 10 minutes of the second half, scoring another try and fending off a hungry Dartmouth team. The game wrapped up with another try and kick from the Crimson in the final 10 minutes, putting the Ivy League Champions ahead by 24 points.

Harvard mauled the Brown Bears (1-3) earlier this month, winning 76-0 in its highest-scoring game in the past two years. However, the Crimson faced a greater challenge with the Big Green. Either Harvard or Dartmouth has hoisted the last seven NIRA national championship trophies.

In the most recent matchup between the two rivals, the Crimson won 22-5 and simultaneously claimed the 2026 Ivy 7s Championship. On Friday night, the cold wind and rain on Mignone Field were trumped by the heat both teams brought to the game, as fans from both sides showed up in rows to cheer the teams on.

Harvard’s strong offense was visible immediately, gaining possession on the first kick. The Big Green fought back and quickly regained possession as rain began to fall. The score stayed stagnant for the first 20 minutes of the half. The Crimson contested Dartmouth’s aggressive offense, closing up holes in its defensive line.

The two teams swapped possession of the ball dangerously close to Harvard’s 22-meter line, with Dartmouth missing two lineouts as winds reached up to 37 mph in Boston. Junior Dana Greer attempted a driveback to the Big Green’s side, but a series of penalties foiled it. The ball was brought back to the Crimson’s 22, but a clean Harvard lineout enabled the home team to reclaim possession.

With 20 minutes left in the first half and rain pouring down, neither team had accumulated a single point.

Eventually, a kick from sophomore Evie Eyers landed the ball back in Dartmouth’s 22-meter line. A successful Crimson lineout and scrum gave senior Maya Hilger the opportunity to run the ball just shy of the try line before she was tackled. However, the Big Green left a large enough gap for sophomore Gemma Ogoke to run the ball the final distance and secure the first try of the game twenty-two minutes in.

Dartmouth immediately pushed back, bringing the ball back to Harvard’s 22. After a penalty for Crimson, Big Green chose a scrum, threatened by the wind and its past two failed lineout attempts. Harvard thwarted the visiting team’s plans and won the ball back on the scrum thanks to the efforts of captain Courtney Taylor.

Sophomore Morgan Gibson then struck for the Crimson, bringing the game back to Dartmouth’s 10-meter line. Ogoke took advantage of the opportunity, tallying her second try of the night and putting Harvard ahead by ten points.

The Big Green tried to hold its defense in the last 10 minutes of the first half, but Taylor smashed through with just five minutes remaining, securing a try despite Dartmouth’s efforts to keep the ball off the turf. Eyers added two more points with a drop goal kick, fighting the wind gusts from the looming storm.

The Crimson did not leave the first half uncontested, though. With thirty seconds left on the clock, the Big Green tore down the field and scored its first try, despite an Eyers tackle within five meters of the try line. Dartmouth kicked a drop goal, but Harvard still led 17-7 at the break.

The first few minutes of the second half were a dogfight between the two historic rivals as the teams bounced between each other’s 10-meter lines. Dartmouth proved to be no match for the Crimson’s junior Josephine Mignone, who raced through a hole in its defense to score the first try of the half. Eyres’ ensuing kick added another point to Harvard’s scoreboard, giving the team a 17-point lead, 24-7.

A close call inside the Crimson’s try zone resulted in a scrum for the Big Green at Harvard’s five-meter line. The Crimson withstood waves of Dartmouth pressure, keeping its rival at bay.

Harvard deflected a Big Green lineout at Dartmouth’s 22-meter line to gain possession. A clean pass from captain Ava Ference gave Gibson the opportunity to break through the Big Green’s defense to score the Crimson’s fifth try of the night, recapturing the ball after an initial forward fumble. Eyres collected another clean drop goal, extending the score to 31-7.

Dartmouth’s desperate attempts in the last five minutes put Harvard back on the defense inside its 22-meter line. With just 15 seconds left on the clock, the Big Green pushed its way inside the Crimson’s try line, but Harvard ultimately held out – preventing what would have been Dartmouth’s second try of the game and securing a 24-point victory.

The Crimson’s next match is on Oct. 10, when it will host Navy (1-2) on its Senior Day. The last time these two teams faced off was in 2024, and Harvard won 74-7.

—Staff writer Alexa M. Schmitt can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal at alexaschmitt.15. Follow her on X ​​@alexa_m15_s.