PROVIDENCE, RI (October 4, 2009) -- "Welcome to Providence" Jack Nickelson says in "The Departed" and what a welcome the Brown University Women gave the Vassar College Brewers! The number 1 ranked team in the country, Brown, dominated every area of the game and ran away deserved winners by the convincing score line of 50-0.
Vassar College Women 0 v Brown University Women 50
The heavy rain in New England this Saturday made conditions awful for the players and it was a credit to both teams that they tried to use the ball as they did. Vassar opted for the close quarters forwards driving and the boot of scrumhalf
Keri Peacock. Brown were the more ambitious and they put together some decent passing movements. They scored early and never looked back. Up front Vassar made a fight of it but even there freshman tighthead
Shanaye Williams was under a lot of pressure while on the loosehead side sophomore
Brianna Blackwood-Mallory also struggled.
At the half it was 24-0 but to be honest Vassar were always on the back foot. They must have held the ball up over the line 4 or 5 times denying tries to the home team, so it wasn't as if Brown were particularly concerned. There were a couple of breakouts by Peacock and she did have a good day overall but there was always going to be someone to run her down. Brown finished with 8 tries and 5 conversions and it now looks like a two horse race in the Northeast between Brown and Army. Maybe UMass will produce an upset.
Vassar face Yale next Sunday in what will no doubt be another difficult encounter. The fact that they will be without center
Morandi Hurst, who broke a bone in her face against Brown, and flyhalf
Lorraine DeGraffenreidt who is out for the season with a torn ACL, further compounds the problem. A good week of practice will go a long way to re-establishing confidence.
Overall record 2009-10: 3-2-0.
Next weekend: Sunday October 11, 2009 at Yale University Women, kickoff 1:00 pm.
