Women’s Division 2 – October 2025 Recap

With October coming to a close, it is yet again time for another USA Club Rugby Monthly Recap where we cover all of the goings-on from this past month in the USA Club Rugby scene. It’s a spicy time of the year for some regions who have completed their regular season this month and are entering playoffs. Other regions have just kicked off, while even more have just finalized schedules for the spring season. And we’re covering it all right here. As always, recaps are organized by division, so take a seat as we dive into what happened in the Women’s D2 Competition this past October!

Before I forget, all of this information is gathered from team-entered data on Rugby Xplorer. If you see something wrong, please check first on Rugby Xplorer and talk to your Geographic Union; if it’s right on RugbyX but wrong here, I could have just made a mistake. Unfortunately, I too am a human. I am always open to hearing comments and suggestions, so don’t be afraid to reach out. Any additional commentary is added for fun from someone who has zero standing in the outcomes of these games. Sounds good?

It’s playoffs time in the Midwest! First we’ll go by league to cover how everyone finished in the regular season; then we’ll dive into the four quarterfinals that happened this past weekend. In November, our final four teams will play semis and then head to one final championship match for all the bragging rights in the Midwest. Remember that the top two seeds from the Midwest will advance to the Northern Super Regional, so it’s all about winning that semifinal and getting to that final. Winning it is just the icing on the cake.

First up, the league results. Starting in the Western League, the Milwaukee Scylla (4-0) finished perfect after defeating Wisconsin (1-3) two weeks ago. Palmer College (3-1) made a strong push to the end, but since that loss to Milwaukee in September, there was just no overtaking them. Oconomowoc (2-2) was the closest to jumping over Palmer, but a 85-5 thrashing from Milwaukee did them in on October 11th. They did bounce back with an equally painful 72-7 win over the Minneapolis Menagerie (0-4) the following weekend, so at least they ended on a high note. Wisconsin was unable to find a win after their opening weekend against the Menagerie, and closed their season with a 69-26 loss against the Scylla. Milwaukee and Palmer would have both advanced to the quarterfinals round, but Oconomowoc stepped in for Palmer (don’t ask me why) with Scylla taking the home advantage in their match.

Moving over to the Central League, it’s all about Fort Wayne (3-0). Since the Central League had less teams, they all played each other once, then the top two faced off in one final match. It was looking like it might be the County Will Morrigans (1-2) to go up against Fort Wayne after their massive 64-0 blanking of the Toledo Celtics (0-3), but the Chicago Sirens (2-1) had the final say in their September 27th match. With a 24-15 win over the Morrigans, the Sirens would qualify for the playoffs and play against Fort Wayne for the home advantage. The Sirens did better than they did when they faced Fort Wayne the first time, but not by much. The score was tied 0-0 for about 15 minutes; Fort Wayne scored first, but the Sirens responded quickly. Another stalemate for 15 minutes until Fort Wayne dotted down a second. 10-5 at the halftime break and then stalemate for 20 minutes. Finally in minute 60, Fort Wayne broke through the Sirens defense. They scored twice in five minutes, spreading the gap and then twice more in the final five minutes to increase the differential more. Final score 36-5, Fort Wayne on top. Both top teams advanced to the quarters, Fort Wayne taking the top seed and the home field advantage. 

In the Eastern League, the Cleveland Iron Maidens (4-0) absolutely walloped Dayton (2-2) in the final match of the season, effectively crushing Dayton’s hopes of the playoffs. The second-place team Pittsburgh Forge (2-2) also lost their last match against Akron (1-3), but managed to get a few extra bonus points across the season that were the difference to give them the playoff berth (guys seriously I’m telling you bonus points matter). The Columbus Squirrels (1-3) finally got their win of the season in their last match against Akron on October 4th. Then Akron turned around and defeated second-place Pittsburgh, I know it’s all quite confusing. I would have loved to see these teams all play another round of games, I think it would have been incredibly close. Well, except for the Iron Maidens; their closest scoreline was about 30 points difference, so I think they’d still have come out on top. Cleveland and Pittsburgh both advanced to the quarters, with the Iron Maidens taking the top seed and the home field advantage. 

Finally, the Northern League. This one was CLOSE. Three teams finished with a 3-1 record, and it all came down to bonus points in the end. Buffalo (3-1) managed to win their final game of the year 58-17 over the North Buffalo Ninjas (0-4). Without some surprise intervention from the Ninjas, that was always going to happen. But Buffalo was probably expecting to take second overall after their opening loss to the Rochester Renegades (3-1). However, that’s where South Buffalo (3-1) stepped in at the final minute. Fueled by Zoey Siciliano’s hat trick, South Buffalo got the better of Rochester on October 11th, defeating them 40-30. It was everything South Buffalo needed out of their final match of the year, the bonus point win propelling them into second place and giving them a chance in the playoffs. Rochester did everything right; in the end they just needed more bonus points, particularly in two of their wins where they didn’t score over four tries. Last chance heartbreak, but Rochester stays at home while Buffalo and South Buffalo advance to the postseason; Buffalo hosting their quarter. 

Okay so divisions wrapped, onto the quarters.

First up, Milwaukee Scylla (W1) took on the Chicago Sirens (C2), battle of the former D1 West sides. This one ended up being all Milwaukee, with the Scylla scoring 13 unanswered tries starting at minute one and going all the way to the final whistle. Claire Tomashek scored a hat-trick and Kyla Hensel added nine conversions and two tries of her own in the win. Milwaukee will advance to the semifinals in November. 

Next was Buffalo (N1) hosting the Pittsburgh Forge (E2). Buffalo were the only top seed with a loss on their record, but the Forge were also the only second-place team with two losses on their record. So, even footing? Well, it was enough for Buffalo who dominated Pittsburgh, winning 40-5. Makenna Ramsey, Jolene John, Erica Steele, and Tateum Hillman all impressed on the day, winning them ‘Players of the Match’ kudos from their club. Buffalo now head back to the Midwest semifinals, where their run ended last year; however this time, they’ve got a different ending in mind. 

In our third quarterfinal, Fort Wayne (C1) took on Oconomowoc (W2). I’ll be honest, I did not see this scoreline coming. Since Oconomowoc finished third overall in the West, I figured that a squad like Fort Wayne (who dominated their league) would have walked all over them. Not the case for Oconomowoc, who decided if they were given a chance, they’d better take it. Fort Wayne were able to finish on top, but it was closer than they’d like, final score 34-19, Fort Wayne advancing. 

For our final quarterfinal, I saved the best for last with the Cleveland Iron Maidens (E1) hosting South Buffalo (N2). Cleveland were unstoppable in the Eastern League, no one could come close. On the other hand, South Buffalo barely made it in; their final game being the nudge they needed to get qualification. But man, did it unravel on Saturday. South Buffalo were fueled by something special, because they brought it to the Iron Maidens. Gabrilla Dispenza scored thrice and Siciliano twice in the 41-29 victory. The Maiden’s Hannah Trommer had her own hat-trick, but it just wasn’t enough. There’s always going to be one upset, and this year it was South Buffalo. Now with South Buffalo advancing, I’m kind of scared for whoever stands in their way, if they can take down the Iron Maidens, what can’t they do? 

Semifinals will happen the weekend of November 8th, and remember, win your semi, qualify for Super Regionals. The rest is just a bonus.

One match left to round out the Mid-America Women’s D2 season, and it’s between the top two teams, St. Louis and Omaha. 

However the St. Louis Sabres (4-0) have already wrapped up the top spot regardless of the outcome. St. Louis added two big wins to their already perfect record in October; 59-17 over the KC Jazz (1-4) and 47-10 over the Omaha GOATS (2-2). The Sabres have maxed out bonus points and have an average point differential of 42 points per match (and that’s including a forfeit win over the Patriots (1-3) back in September. The Sabres are well on their way to repeating as Mid-America champions and heading back to the Northern Super Regional where they were runners-up last year. Since the team who defeated them (the Grand Rapids Growlers) are now in D1, it could be the Sabres that go all the way to the National final four, and possibly bring back the whole shebang to Missouri.

The Omaha GOATS have gone 2-2 so far. They fell to the league leaders St Louis, as well as the Patriots when they were able to field a side, but then the Patriots had to forfeit their most recent match, so Omaha split the results with them. This past weekend Omaha smashed the KC Jazz 49-17 thanks to a riotous first half where they scored five tries and held the Jazz to two. Eight different players in total scored for the Jazz including Amber Pierce who had two. The Jazz’s lone win comes from back in September against the Patriots, who they defeated 24-19. 

The last game will take place on November 8th and then teams will be off for the winter break. We’ll return with playoffs in the spring. 

We’ve only got one game left to play in November, but it won’t affect either of the top two teams’ standings. 

The Colorado Springs Pikes Peaks (4-0) finished undefeated after taking down the second-place SLUGs (3-1) this past weekend. It was the biggest match of the season for both teams, as they both entered undefeated, and Utah had only had 10 points scored against them all season. Samantha Bunecke and Erin Langeheine scored twice each for the Pikes Peaks in the 38-19 win. Asena Vainikolo also dotted down twice for the SLUGs, putting up the majority of the points for the Utah-based side. The Pikes Peaks may have had a smaller differential, but in the end home field advantage played a big part, and Colorado Springs held out. Quite a debut D2 season for the Peaks.

The Littleton Lemons (1-3) got their first win of the season on the 18th over the Boulder Babes (0-3). Caroline Miskill had 14 of the Lemons’ 33 points on the weekend, scoring twice and kicking two conversions. A great way to close out the season for the Lemons, who were also on debut in D2. 

Our final match of the year takes place between the Boulder Babes and Denver Black Ice (1-2). Black Ice just got their first win of the season last weekend over the Lemons, while the Babes are still hunting for theirs. If the Babes can win with a bonus point and prevent Black Ice from getting one, they will have the same record and be tied on table points in third. Currently Black Ice has a much higher point differential, so Boulder would really have to heap on the points in order to pass them, but it is possible. We’ll find out this weekend when the two go head to head!

The season has wrapped and the top four teams are advancing to the semifinals and finals in November. 

Providence (4-1) continued on their unbeaten streak for most of October, notching a 50-0 win over Charles River (1-4) at the start of the month. But just last weekend, things changed. Now, Providence had already wrapped up the top seed and are well on their way to playing in another NERFU championship match, so the outcome of last week’s game didn’t matter – for them. However it did matter for the now-third place Hartford Wild Roses (3-2) who managed to snatch the win from the league leaders 25-24. Thanks to a converted try from Nazareth Cardoso in the 65th minute, Hartford sailed into the lead and kept it tight until the final whistle. This was a massive performance from Hartford, who back at the start of the season, were getting run over by the Albany Knickerbockers (2-3). It was the win they needed to put them into third overall, and pit them against the second-place team come playoffs. 

Finishing second this season are the Worcester Shamrocks (4-1) who had the same record as Providence but less total table points (we love bonus points!). Worcester finished third overall last year, but still managed to upset the Knicks in their semi and defeat Providence in the final, so I wouldn’t take them lightly. Worcester’s lone loss of the season comes from week one against Providence, since then they have been on a win streak that culminated in a 61-17 romp of Albany last weekend. 

Our final team entering the postseason is the aforementioned Knickerbockers. The Knicks last win came from the start of October when they hosted Burlington (1-4), a nine-try performance by Albany. Eight different players managed to dot down for the Knicks in the match, and Amy Weils went five for eight off the tee. 

Both Charles River and Burlington missed the boat this year for playoffs, although both teams managed to snag a win before the season closed. Charles River took down Burlington back in September, while Burlington recorded their first win over the Wild Roses earlier this month. It was a close one, final score 15-12, but an impressive performance by Burlington to knock the third-place team down a peg. 

Providence will host the Albany Knickerbockers while Worcester hosts the Hartford Wild Roses on September 7th, then the winners will advance to the NERFU Championships the following weekend to play for the Cup. 

Our Empire Women’s D2 conference finished up their regular season this past weekend as New Haven (3-1) took on the Brooklyn Hyenas (0-4). It was an impressive first half performance by the Hyenas, who held New Haven to 5-0 entering the halftime break. However New Haven regrouped and came out fighting, scoring five times in the final forty minutes to bring the final score to 38-17. Gabrielle Dixon scored a hat-trick for New Haven, and Margaret Aydlett added the extras. This was the best way for New Haven to cap off their season, having defeated Danbury (3-1) back in September, 19-12. 

Danbury got their own win over the Hyenas in October, an 88-0 slaughter on the 18th. Although tied on record, Danbury has two more table points, giving them the top seed over New Haven. We’re unsure if Empire will send Danbury directly to the Super Regional, or if there’s more rugby to be played in the metro area. I personally would love to see Danbury and New Haven go head to head again; with an average of 10 points difference between these two sides, it’s bound to be a great game. 

There’s plenty of action to cover from October in our Capital Women’s D2 conference. Back in September, we only had one round of matches played, now all teams have played at least three, and closed out for the 2025 year. They will return in the spring to finish out the season before advancing to playoffs in April. 

James River (3-1) is on top of the table, but just barely. October brought them two strong wins over Norfolk Storm (1-3), 43-7 when they hosted on the 4th and a massive 72-0 romp last weekend when they traveled to Norfolk. That’s an average of one try every 7 minutes! However it wasn’t all sunshine and roses for James River this month, Severn River (3-0) dealt them their first blow of the season on the 18th, in an exciting rematch of last year’s championship match. Severn scored all their tries early, and although James River had the last score, the damage was already done. They couldn’t make up the deficit, final score 24-5 to Severn. The only reason Severn River isn’t currently in first is because they’ve played less matches overall, and missed a winning bonus point from their 14-7 defeat of NOVA (0-4). 

Speaking of NOVA, they’re pretty unlucky to still be winless. They fronted up well against both James River and Severn, but were unable to seal the deal. Their last match of October was a heartbreak against the Norfolk Storm. They were trailing most of the match, but managed to always sneak back neck and neck with the Storm. In the 70th minute they pulled ahead thanks to a try from replacement Zoe Keskey. However as the game entered its final minutes, Riley Morrison found the try zone for the Storm, and Victoria McClurg-Lanham converted to take the lead. Final score 24-22 to Norfolk. An epic match for Norfolk to put them in third, but tough for NOVA, who are still hunting down that elusive first win. 

Games will return in March with Severn River hosting NOVA on the 14th. Anything can happen in the off-season, and any team still has the opportunity to crack into the top two. It ain’t over till it’s over.

Over in Eastern Pennsylvania, it’s getting spicy. 

Top of the conference are Phoenixville White Horse (6-0). I’m not going to get into much detail here because Phoenixville is very very good, and no one is arguing that point. They’ve defeated opponents with an overall point differential of almost 400, a whopping average of 66 points per match. Both Corinne Gallagher and Sydnei Scipio have scored over 10 tries this season, with Madeline Ross closing in with nine of her own. 

Moving down the table, the spice starts to show. Monmouth (4-1) and Harrisburg (2-3) have been duking it out for second and third, and this past weekend they faced off in their final match of the fall season. Harrisburg’s Hannah Starolis scored three times in the battle, but it wasn’t enough. Monmouth took the win 26-22, cementing themselves firmly in second. 

Northeast Philadelphia (1-4) are currently in fourth place, despite being the only team to really put on a show against Phoenixville. Sure they lost, but only by 12 points. For a team regularly heaping 10 tries on opponents, that’s not bad. The first time they played Harrisburg, it came down to the wire 39-36, a late try by Northeast Philadelphia not enough to bridge the gap. However two weeks later the two met again, this time Northeast hosting. This fell to Northeast’s favor with Hannah Bratzler’s final try being the nudge that Northeast needed to take the win 22-19. Northeast has one final match this season, this upcoming weekend when they travel to Doylestown (0-5).

After this weekend’s final fixture, the EPRU teams will retire for the winter before starting back up in March. Northeast Philadelphia will host Monmouth and Harrisburg will host Phoenixville when we return in 2026.

Moving to the opposite coast, we start up north with our Pacific Northwest teams. Now, the PNW teams have yet to have their league posted on RugbyX, so I’ve cobbled together some bits and pieces from other sources on the internet. 

The Portland Pigs (last year’s PNW champions) hosted the Berkeley All Blues in a friendly cross-conference match on October 4th, Portland coming out on top 22-17. The following weekend, D1 Seattle Orcas blanked Tacoma 89-0 and Emerald City took their first win of the year 35-0 over Chuckanut Bay. Again, that’s all I could find on it. Until RugbyX is updated (or Match Facts starts working for me) I’m just guessing. 

We’ve got the Sacramento Amazons and Berkeley All Blues returning to the D2 scene this year, joined by Life West D1. All three teams play home and away fixtures before advancing to their respective National Championship pathways starting at the Pacific Super Regional. 

The Berkeley All Blues started their season off with a cross-conference friendly against the PNW’s Portland Pigs on October 4th. It was a close match, with the Pigs taking the spoils 22-17. Berkeley will head to Austin, Texas next month to play in Austin’s Bat City XVs, an excellent preparation for their upcoming spring season. 

Southern California has yet to submit their teams for this upcoming season but they also don’t typically kickoff until January, so we’re not worried yet. As more information comes in, we’ll update this section.

The big news from the Southwest is that Las Vegas is back and ready to defend their National title. Las Vegas had a dream run last year, continuing all the way to the National Championship where they defeated Phoenixville White Horse in a 28-24, down to the wire match. They will be joined by Albuquerque, Phoenix, and the Old Pueblo Lightning. El Paso has since dropped down to D3, and has been replaced by Northern Arizona. Games will kick off in November with Old Pueblo hosting Phoenix and the Lady Landsharks hosting the Atomic Sisters on the 22nd. Las Vegas will kick off their season in December when they travel to Phoenix. 

We’ve got two matches to cover from the True South Women’s D2 this past month. The Birmingham Steel (2-0) started with a bang when they hosted the Nashville Stone Lions (0-1) in the season opener. Casey Smith scored a hat-trick in the win, along with teammates Jacqueline Lefebre, Kierra Storms, and Willy Williams adding two of their own in the 70-5 win. The Steel followed this up with a 31-17 road win over the Chattanooga Queens (0-1), Liz Lee responsible for 16 of the Steel’s points. This is an incredible improvement for the Birmingham Steel since last season. Their big test will come on November 15th when they travel to the Knoxville Minx. Knoxville has long been the team to beat in the True South, winning the National Championship back in 2023 after coming second in 2022. As the only team not to formally take the pitch yet this season, they hosted the Witch-Pitch Halloween friendly Tournament this past weekend in Nashville; so they have been getting some rugby in. Their first league match will be on November 8th when they travel to the Nashville Stone Lions. 

The Texas Women’s Premiership plays a hybrid D1/D2 competition. Four D1 sides join three D2 sides before splitting come post-season. Our three D2 sides are the Little Rock Stormers, who won out and represented at the Gulf Coast Super Regional last year, the San Antonio Riveters, and the Houston sHARCs D2. Games won’t kick off until mid-December, although most teams will be in action beforehand as the Austin Valkyries host their annual Bat City XV tournament at the start of November. 

We’ve got a lot more scores rolling in from the Carolinas Women’s D2, who are in the peak of their fall season. 

Over in the Western Division, the Atlanta 2.0 Selects (3-0) are our last undefeated side, currently on top of the table, though tied on table points with the Augusta Furies (3-1). Atlanta have actually only played one league match, a 99-0 defeat of the Savannah Shamrocks (0-2) sure, but they still need game time. The conference has unfortunately been riddled with forfeits, playing a big part in the current standings. The Augusta Furies have won two matches and one forfeit against them, so they’ve actually won more than Atlanta 2.0 if you look at it that way. Their first win was October 4th over the Carolina Villains (1-1) and then just last weekend they took down the Shamrocks 43-10. They’re currently done for the rest of the fall, but will be back in action come spring. It looks like the Columbia Bombshells are out for the season, having forfeited their three matches so far; their last game is supposed to be November 8th hosting the 2.0 Selects, but we will see if it goes through. 

In the Eastern Division, Fear the Maniacs (3-1) reigns, but Charlotte (3-0) are close behind. Fear had a strong October, they opened with a 56-17 win over the Southern Pines Celts (0-2) and followed with a 45-5 win over the Fayetteville Valkyries (1-2). Their only loss of the season came this past weekend at the hands of the Charleston Hurricanes (1-2). Their real test will come on November 15th when they face undefeated Charlotte. Charlotte has had an astounding season so far, racking up a 200 point differential in just three matches. They will face the Charleston Hurricanes in a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s final, where Charlotte lost by a conversion to the eventual Gulf Coast Super Regional representatives. This year the odds heavily favor Charlotte, but don’t count out the Hurricanes; they have a habit of putting it together when it matters most. Eno River (1-2) recorded a win in October as well, but it was a forfeit win over the Hurricanes, who didn’t have the numbers to play. 

Overall it’s a bit chaotic in the Carolinas, with forfeits really throwing a wrench in the game. All league matches will be done by the end of November then teams will go into the winter break before heading back out for playoffs in the spring. 

The draft schedule has been confirmed for the Florida Women’s D2 competition, starting in January 2026. As of now, games will kickoff with Jacksonville hosting Fort Miami and Tampa hosting Orlando on January 17th. On the 31st, the Lady Hammerheads will join the competition. They are listed as a D3 team, but will play in the D2 competition in order to gain experience and grow into the league. As of now, the finalized schedule hasn’t been posted in Rugby Xplorer, so these fixtures could all change, but we know that the season won’t formally kickoff until January.