Dartmouth will play Central Florida In the spring semifinals of the D1AA playoffs after both won quarterfinal games on Saturday in Lawrence, KS.
Dartmouth ran out to a 17-0 early lead over Missouri thanks to a penalty from flyhalf Patrick Sheehy and tries from Julien Johnson and Steven Hinshaw, both converted by Sheehy.
Kansas got a penalty goal, but Dartmouth finished the first half with a try from Ollie Engelhart and a Sheehy penalty to lead 24-3.
“We managed the game really well,” said Dartmouth head coach James Willocks. “We might have been in their half for 35 minutes of the first half.”
The second half saw multiple yellow cards, with Dartmouth getting the majority of them.Fuller Winton’s try made it 32-3 before Missouri got a late try, and Sheehy added a penalty for the final score of 35-10.
Willocks had hoped to get some rest for his players to prepare for Sunday’s game, and he got it, if for an unexpected reason.
“The referee provided us with the opportunity to rest some guys,” joked Willocks about all the yellow cards. “We did lack a bit of composure in the second half. Now we’re just going to try to win the recovery battle. Playing games on back-to-back days is tough.”
Co-captain Henshaw was a force in the forward pack and kept the Big Green moving forward all day. Led by the team’s set piece, Dartmouth dominated possession and territory.
Central Florida, meanwhile, continued its strong run of results with a 33-20 defeat of hosts Kansas.
“The guys have bought into the overall way of playing,” said head coach Evan Haigh. “When we played in the SIRC playoffs we traveled with 30 players and seven players didn’t see any time at all, but they were still a part of the program. We’ve emphasized ball retention and staying composed. It’s tough for us to get to the playoffs as we’re a club team and we don’t have a lot of resources, but the guys are just working really hard.”
The two teams will play off Sunday for a spot in the D1AA spring final on April 21, followed by the all-D1AA final against Mary Washington on May 5 in Fullerton, CA.