By
Tony Brown
Head Coach
AMHERST, MA (October 14, 2007) -- The early kick-off may have had something to do with the sluggish start by the Brewers as they fell behind, 5-0 then 10-0, in the first half. A swirling wind made life difficult at the lineouts but ironically Vassar had a good day overall in this area of the game. Freshman Keri Peacock had a wonderful game as she distributed well behind a not so dominant pack. Her defensive work was also of the finest quality and the team rallied behind her example.
Vassar College Women 33 v UMass., Amherst Women 10
Tries: Andrea Listenberger (1), Susannah White (1), Elise Okusami (2), Alex Miline (1).
Cons: Alex Milne (4).
UMass always tend to be a difficult opponent for Vassar. They were well prepared, covered the blindside well, and had obviously determined to kick deep to pressure Vassar. These tactics worked fairly well for the first half but Vassar held the home team to 2 tries and scored a good one themselves.
Vassar's fullback Morandi Hurst, a rookie, played an excellent game at fullback. She fielded all the kicks and ran back strongly. She probably needs to be a little more evasive but she gave her team confidence and was supported by both wings. So the UMass kicking was less effective than it might have been on account of Hurst's performance.
The first try was scored against the run of play. Vassar made several line breaks and was inside the UMass 22 but the Minutemen broke out and when Keri Peacock missed a tackle the right wing ran in from 40 yards. Peacock was unlucky in that she made a good attempt but just slipped off the ball carrier. She barely put a foot wrong after that and was everywhere covering her teammates, making tackles, passing accurately, and snipping around the fringes.
Vassar then spent the next 25 minutes of the half in the UMass 22 but amazingly did not score! It was a very spirited defensive stand. Elise Okusami and Alex Milne made good breaks and Laura Redden ran very intelligent lines and it seemed that Vassar was in control. The Brewers battered away at the line being held just short several times. So UMass held and a couple of big kicks relieved the pressure. Somewhat bemused Vassar's rucking began to fade. The forwards were being outrucked as UMass gathered momentum from this display of strong defense. From a good position in the left corner UMass took a quick tap and dived over for a 10-0 lead. Vassar did respond with another 5 minute period of pressure and produced a try to make it 10-5 as Andrea Listenberger dived over.
Vassar had a strong wind at their backs in the second half and the plan was to kick deep and chase well. But even more important was improved loose play from the forwards. Vassar needed to produce quick ball and they needed to ruck more physically. Players over and around the ball had to be driven back with conviction. To their credit the Vassar forwards did make considerable improvement and the better platform allowed the backs to operate more effectively.
UMass was unable to clear their lines and with Vassar making line breaks, kicking in behind, and improved rucking the tries were bound to follow. UMass never stopped tackling but Susannah White scored from a close range penalty and Milne's conversion made it 12-10. Vassar knew that if they kept applying this pressure they would win. Okusami put Milne through and then a couple of phases later it was 19-10. Two converted tries followed and it was a done deal. In the latter stages UMass came back in to the contest and Laura Redden suffered a knock to her nose. Hopefully, she'll be alright as it would be a tough loss for the team heading to the playoffs.
Team: 15 Morandi Hurst 14 Alex Thom 13 Lorraine DeGraffenreidt 12 Alex Milne 11 Laura Redden 10 Elise Okusami 9 Keri Peacock 1 Andrea Listenberger 2 Hannah Roth 3 Becca Marcus 4 Meredith Kendall 5 Susannah White 6 Alexis Liakos 7 Michelle Labas 8 Keke Hopson. Subs: Jarra Munger for Laura Redden.
2007-08 Record: 4-1-0
Next week: Saturday October 21, 2007 at Radcliffe, kick-off 11:00 am.
Vassar College Women "B" 34 v UMass., Amherst Women "B" 5
Tries: Alex Milne (2), Lorraine DeGraffenreidt (1), Keke Hopson (2), Elise Okusami (1).
Cons: Alex Milne (2).
Vassar, for the first time in 13 years, was unable to field a "B" side so players had to double up. It's partly because of the Fall Break, injuries, and retirements. So to be fair to UMass players played out of position, but the experience gap was still too big.
Vassar ran in 6 tries and was in control from start to finish. UMass put up a good performance in the second half and like their "A" side tackled throughout.
For the Brewers Summer Scott had a very accomplished game and in the close quarters play she is a force. Kim Nguyen rucked well, Stephanie Rapp zipped down the wing, and Jarra Munger was her usual terrier-self.
It was good to see the veteran players step up and play so that there was a game. It looks like we need another recruiting year like 2000 when the class of '04 arrived!
Team: 15 Morandi Hurst 14 Stephanie Rapp 13 Jarra Munger 12 Lorranie DeGraffenreidt 11 Alexis Liakos 10 Alex Milne 9 Elise Okusami 1 Becca Marcus 2 Natalie duRivage 3 Kim Nguyen 4 Summer Scott 5 Amielle Major 6 Andrea Listenberger 7 Alex Thom 8 Keke Hopson.
