WEST POINT, New York - The American International College women's rugby team made history, defeating West Chester University of Pennsylvania 29-17 in the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association Division II Championship game on Sunday, November 21.

FAST FACTS:
Final Score: AIC 29, West Chester 17
Records: AIC concludes the 15s season at 8-2
Location: Anderson Rugby Complex, West Point, New York

KEY STATS:
AIC:
Jessica Berggren: Two tries
Suley Guerrero: One try
Ivana Kiripati: One try
Annekkia Ritter-Truxal: One try
Kassidy Pothier: Two conversions

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Rams got off to a powerful start, taking advantage of an AIC knock-on early to gain possession and put down a try less than two minutes into the game.
• AIC rebounded, and with resilient play tied the game up. Jessica Berggren was able to score a try and Kassidy Pothier nailed the conversion to tie the game 7-7 about 10 minutes in.
• The defenses tightened up over the next stretch, as both sides dug in and showed grit. West Chester finally broke through again with 16 minutes left in the half, pushing a try over the right side to take a 12-7 advantage.
• It seemed like the score would stay into the break, but AIC had other ideas. The team bullied its way into the Rams half of the field, and with time running down, Suley Guerrero broke through the left side of the defense to score, and with Pothier's conversion, the Yellow Jackets took a lead of 14-12 into the break.
• Out of the break, AIC flipped the script from the first half on West Chester, taking the ball thanks to a knock on and quickly finding the try line, as Ivana Kiripati flew past the Rams defense to give AIC a 19-12 scoring edge.
• The defending national champions did not waver, responding almost immediately with a try, although their conversion failed, keeping AIC ahead 19-17 with 33 minutes remaining.
• AIC likewise elevated its game, and used a size advantage to put another try home. The Yellow Jackets forwards shoved West Chester's defense back repeatedly until Annekkia Ritter-Truxal was able to jam the ball beyond the line for another five. With the score, AIC led 24-17 with 28 minutes on the clock.
• The Rams attacked relentlessly, but AIC's defenders held them off, forcing turnovers deep inside AIC's 22-meter line several times and keeping West Chester contained. The top-seeded squad did draw a penalty with 13 minutes to play, but the kick for points missed left.
• With momentum on the team's side and time winding down, Berggren put the dagger in, breaking tackles to score a try with seven minutes to play and give AIC a 29-17 lead.
• The Rams drove desperately, but the AIC defense sealed off brilliantly, and with the clock running down beyond zero, the Yellow Jackets kicked the ball out of play to end the contest and claim their first national title.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS:

• The women's rugby program had competed in NIRA Championships several times in the past, but earned a crown for the first time ever.
• AIC outscored its opposition 51-37 in the two postseason matches.
• Berggren was named the Most Valuable Player of the contest.

QUOTABLE:

• "It gives me so much pride in this team and in this program. We came in as the underdog and we accomplished what we needed to. I am so proud of every single player, they left their heart out on that field and it showed," Berggren said.
• Of winning MVP, Berggren noted "I am so honored to receive the MVP award but I know I honestly couldn't have achieved this without the rest of my team and coaches. This team means the world to me and I wouldn't want to play with anyone else."
• Pothier, the team's co-captain, said "To win achampionship with this team means the world to me! This team is so special and left everything they had on the field. It was a team effort the full 80 minutes and in the end we came up on top! To win the first national championship in our history my senior year is something I will never forget!"
• Allyson Pothier, also a co-captain, said "It's been a long time coming, but this would not have been possible without our awesome coaching staff guiding us and the ladies giving everything that they had in their tank tonight. I can't put into words what winning a championship title means to me. I love this team with all my heart and the underclassmen really stepped out to help the seniors go out with a bang."
• Head Coach T Fletcher said of the win "I'm so proud of our team for what they've accomplished all season long and the adversity they had to overcome; the cohesion that they have as a group, the way they've learned to support one another not just on the pitch, but in the classroom. All of the disruptions surrounding the pandemic and having limited training and matches to develop our student-athletes made it challenging. I think based on the circumstances, this team has really accomplished a lot, to be able to do what they did tonight. Our coaching staff did an outstanding job with this team all season long. Extremely proud of our program and everybody who contributed to it."