HOUSTON, Tex. – On Dec. 7, 2014, Notre Dame College women's rugby defeated Winona State in Palm Springs, Fla. for the National Championship. The 2023 Falcons have a chance to bring home the biggest trophy, again, this Saturday Dec. 2, when they battle the top ranked University of Michigan, in Houston.
 
"I think the girls are focusing on the fundamentals, taking time to work on the small things to refine our skills. The motivation is definitely there," Alivia Leatherman told Spectrum News 1.
 
Notre Dame College rolled through the regular season, under first-year head coach Vanessa Marsh, going 4-0, which included a 116-0 victory over Bowling Green. The Falcons then defeated No. 7 Iowa State (44-20) and No. 5 Indiana (27-13) to secure the program's third consecutive Division I National Collegiate Rugby Regional Championship.
 
Over the past three seasons, NDC has put together a combined record of 24-4 and have not lost more than two games in a fall season since 2021.

In the 2021 playoffs, Notre Dame took third place in the country by defeating No. 13 Roger Williams, No. 9 Colgate and then No. 3 Marquette in the third-place match. Last season, NDC got to the National Championship game by beating No. 10 Clemson and No. 7 Iowa. In the title game, No. 1 Michigan got past the Falcons for the championship.
 
The game on Saturday will start at 7 p.m., tomorrow, and will be streamed on The Rugby Network.