The championship came down to the wire, but by the final whistle, Bowdoin (10-0 overall, 6-0 NESCRC) had held off a very spirited Middlebury team (4-2 NESCRC) in a 15-10 victory, winning its first-ever title in the New England Small College Rugby Conference (NESCRC). 
Despite coming off a 26-0 win against Middlebury in the regular season, captain Kerry Townsend ’13 was not expecting an easy victory. 
“Honestly I was pretty nervous going into the game. Although we had previously beaten them 26-0, that score did not reflect how good they were as a team. They had very strong rucking and tackling skills and they were able to get the ball out very quickly in the back line,” she said.
Head Coach MaryBeth Mathews says she was impressed by the Middlebury team and the overall quality of the match. It was a deadlock until the very end, a rare occurrence for Bowdoin, which has over  a 350 point differential this season. 
“Hats off to Middlebury’s team. They had lots of determination and heart in this game and really pushed Bowdoin the entire match,” she said.
For most of the first half both teams played in the middle of the pitch, attempting to move the ball and generate some offensive momentum. Flyhalf Emily Athanas-Linden ’15 began kicking up field to gain territory and create turnovers.
With the victory over Middlebury, Bowdoin secured an automatic bid for the National Tournament, which will be held on April 6. Bowdoin will be one of the eight teams trying to advance to the Sweet 16. 
Mathews plans for the intervening months are straightforward: recovery followed by winter conditioning in preparation for the National Tournament.
“We are going to take a month off to rest and then start our strength and conditioning program as well as speed training. We will try to get some time on the turf too.”
She also remarked about uncertainty regarding the weather and how it will impact the team’s plans in securing time on the turf fields and grass pitch, and how the team will be without some players.
“The difficulty in playing the qualifier in the spring is that we lose members of the team to study abroad and spring varsity sports. It’s difficult when you have five months between your fall season and your next match.”