CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — LIU rugby's second stop on its road to the 7s national championship tournament took the Sharks up to Harvard's Mignone Field.

After a second-place finish the previous week at Mount 7s, the Sharks looked to improve against stiffer competition: two Harvard sides, American International, Brown, Northeastern, Princeton, Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart.

Adding to the challenge, standout freshmen finishers RJ Scott and Tai Sherman were sidelined due to injury. Scott had accounted for more than a third of the team's points in Week 1.

For most players on the Harvard squad, it was their first match play since the Fall D1 championship game.

LIU kicked off to open affairs and proceeded to play a minute of brilliant defense. The prolonged period of intense skill pressure forced a handling error, turnover and baited a Harvard penalty.

The Sharks patiently built through the phases until D'Ondra Bomar and Esme Heater combined to manufacture a half break. With the retreating Crimson defense at sixes and sevens, Sophia Gaddis sniped around the fringes of the breakdown and trotted into the try zone, giving the Sharks their first points of the day.

The speed of Scott and Sherman were sorely missed. LIU did well to dominate possession of the ball but struggled to turn possession into points.

The Sharks compensated for their limited scoring firepower with defensive excellence. With four shutouts already recorded in 20222-23, LIU is rapidly building a reputation as a defensive juggernaut.

Late in the first half, the Crimson looked poised to break the clean sheet. Harvard moved the ball wide from a lineout and found an edge. But Heater tracked across 50 meters and back 60 meters to make a last-ditch tackle and force a knock-on in the try zone. Heater's phenomenal work rate preserved the Sharks '5-0 lead entering halftime. 

LIU continued to dominate possession and stand resolute on defense. Gaddis added a second try and a conversion late in the second half. The Sharks earned a 12-0 victory in Game 1.

Next up, LIU matched up with Quinnipiac. The opening kickoff trickled into touch. The Sharks had an opportunity to attack from set piece. The Bobcats defense disrupted the Sharks strike move but disconnected itself in the process. Sayler Russell busted through a would-be Quinnipiac tackler. And, from there, Gina Pollice and Bomar flooded through the broken line to finish off the break. The Sharks looked locked in early with an 7-0 lead.

Quinnipiac gifted LIU chance after chance via breakdown penalties. But the finishing challenges continued. Impatience creeped in and the Sharks lost their composure for a four-minute stretch.

In the electric-paced game of 7s, that brief lapse was enough for Quinnipiac to pull ahead and build some breathing room on the scoreboard. LIU fell 33-7.

The Sharks' record and point differential seeded them second in the plate playoff bracket.

The Sharks drew Princeton in the plate semifinal. The rain started to fall just as the knockout rounds kicked off, making the ball slick and hard to handle. The Tigers knocked on just a phase after the kickoff.

The Sharks were awarded a scrum midfield and just outside the attacking 22. Gaddis held her width and pulled her defender toward the touchline, allowing Pollice to isolate her opposite. She weaved inside her marker to score just left of the posts. 

LIU rediscovered its composure and connection on defense.

The Sharks worked the ball from touch line to touch line over a full minute and seven phases. Russell isolated and ran through a defender in the overstretched Princeton line. LIU's lead extended to 12-0 at halftime.

The clinical defense continued to the final whistle. Bomar made a string of last-ditch tackles to preserve LIU's second shutout win of the day, sending the Sharks to the plate final.

Arianne Jones, Bri Gloeckner and Gabriella Quiñones all made their returns from prolonged injuries in the win.

LIU met AIC in the plate final. The Yellow Jackets broke the trend of LIU scoring first.

AIC shifted the ball wide from the kickoff and ran it 80 meters to take the lead in the opening minute. 

The Sharks responded, working hard to protect possession in attack and preserve connection on defense. 

The patient LIU approach mounted pressure on AIC. The pressure eventually led to an AIC penalty.

Pollice kicked to touch. A well-worked lineout move put Russell in space. Russell was caught five-meters short, but Heater was in prime position to take the offload. Gaddis converted and gave the Sharks a 7-5 lead.

The Sharks got one more attacking chance from a scrum just before halftime. A short side moved to the right touch line. The Sharks then fired the ball back across the field over two phases. Russell drew the final defenders and put Bomarinto space. Though desperate AIC defender tracked down Bomar, Russell had worked hard to follow her pass and be in position. Bomar offloaded to put Russell away for the try. 

The Sharks took a nine-point lead into the second half.

LIU's defense was clinical through the second half. Under pressure deep in its own half, AIC knocked on the ball. The referee blew for full time. The result earned the Sharks the Crimson 7s plate championship.

Gaddis led all scorers with 20-points and shared the top try scorer title with Russell. Russell earned recognition as the ESPN+ Player of the Plate Final.

Pollice edged ahead as the top scorer on the young season. Scott tellingly sits just one point behind Pollice despite having been sidelined this weekend.  


LIU 12-0 Harvard B 
Points: Gaddis (12)
Tries: Gaddis (2)
Conversions: Gaddis (1 from 2)
 
LIU 7-33 Quinnipiac 
Points: Bomar (5); Gaddis (2)
Tries: Bomar
Conversions: Gaddis (1 from 1)

LIU 12-0 Princeton 
Points: Pollice (5); Russell (5); Gaddis (2)
Tries: Pollice, Russell
Conversions: Gaddis (1 from 2)
 
LIU 14-5 AIC 
Points: Heater (5); Russell (5); Gaddis (4)
Tries: Heater, Russell
Conversions: Gaddis (2 from 2) 

TOURNAMENT: LIU 45-38 Opponents 
Points: Gaddis (20); Russell (10); Bomar (5); Heater (5); Pollice (5)
Tries: Gaddis (2), Russell (2); Bomar; Heater; Pollice
Conversions: Gaddis (5 from 7)

SEASON: LIU 115-79 
Points: Pollice (26); Russell (25); Scott (25); Gaddis (24); Bomar (5); Heater (5); Sherman (5)
Tries: Russell (5); Scott (5); Pollice (4); Gaddis (2); Bomar (1); Heater (1); Sherman
Conversions: Gaddis (7 from 15); Pollice (3 from 4)