Weekend Preview - 9/28/13

After an intense slate of matches last weekend, it's time for the next set of Ivy Rugby action to kick off. The men are entering their third week of league play, while the women are kicking off their official conference schedule. Let's take a look at who will be facing off this weekend.

Men's League

Yale @ Harvard - 10:00am, September 28
Yale is coming into this match with an 0-2 league record on the season, and it will be imperative for them to put up a strong performance in order to improve their league standing. Dartmouth beat Yale handily last week 91-0, so expect to see Yale come out looking to prove that they just had an off week. On the other side, Harvard is riding high after an impressive come-from-behind victory on the road at Brown last week, improving their league record to 1-1. Expect Harvard to look to carry that momentum into this week's match on their home turf.

Brown @ Dartmouth - 1:00pm, September 28
This is sure to be a good match. Dartmouth has to be feeling good after last week's performance - the Big Green hung 91 points on the board against Yale last week, letting everyone in the league know that they plan on continuing their run of excellent play. On the flip side, Brown let one slip away at home against Harvard in a frustrating result for the squad from Providence. Look for Brown to come out ready to play in this match looking to put their loss from last week behind them, and expect Dartmouth to try to prove that their 91-0 shutout win from last week was a sign of things to come.

Princeton @ Columbia - 1:30pm, September 28
With both clubs coming off of disappointing losses from the week before, this match is shaping up to be an indicator of how each team handles adversity. Princeton lost a close match on the road in Philadelphia last week, dropping their match with regional rival Penn 24-17. Columbia fell victim to the physical play of league-leader Cornell 39-15, and will try to get their offense going at Baker Field.

Penn @ Cornell - 2:00pm, September 28
In a matchup between the two unbeaten sides from the Ivy Rugby Conference's South Division, Penn and Cornell will face off for first place. Cornell is feeling good after taking hold of the division lead for the first time since 2005, and it's a good bet that Penn would love to play the spoiler and take first place on the road.

Women's League

Columbia @ Cornell - 11:00am, September 28
In a match that will serve as both teams' White Division opener, both Columbia and host team Cornell are looking to shake off losses from their previous week's action. There's no sugarcoating last week's result for Columbia - they were shut out by Brown at home 105-0. Coach Jodie van Ogtrop will undoubtedly have her team ready for their first league match of the year, and it will be interesting to see how the team shakes off last week's loss. Cornell also lost their match last week except by the more manageable score of  24-10. Expect Cornell to try to set the tone early and take control at home.

Penn @ Yale - 1:00pm, September 28
Last week was particularly tough for these two teams. Yale traveled to Harvard and was shut out by the newly minted varsity squad 84-0, while Penn could only manage 7 points in a 53-7 road loss to Princeton. Each team will be looking to prove that their performance last week was just an off day and not a sign of things to come.

Brown @ Princeton - 11:00am, September 28
In what has the potential to be the most interesting match of the week on the women's side, Brown and Princeton will collide in a matchup of two teams who have shown that they can put points on the board in bunches. Brown hung triple digits on host Yale last week, shutting the Bulldogs out 105-0 and sending a message to their league foes that they're a team to be taken seriously. While Princeton didn't score quite that many points, their performance was still an impressive display of offense - the Tigers won 53-7 over Penn in Chris Ryan's first game as head coach. While it wouldn't be realistic to expect that kind of offensive production from these teams this week, it's looking like a match that will have its share of fireworks.

Harvard @ Dartmouth - 12:00pm, September 28
It will be tough for Harvard to repeat the kind of dominating performance they had last week (winning 84-0 against Yale), but that's what they'll try to do as they visit fellow 1-0 team Dartmouth. The Big Green had a solid showing last week, beating Cornell 24-10 on the road. You can bet that they're glad to be facing this tough Harvard squad at storied Brophy Field in a match that will decide who will remain unbeaten.