POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 28, 2009) – Maybe it was the warm weather or perhaps the size of the Colgate University men's rugby team but either way Vassar College came out of the blocks firing on all cylinders at the Vassar Farm on Saturday.

Quick to the breakdown and solid tackling meant that Colgate never got any go forward ball. Vassar scored four tries in the first 20 minutes as the Brewers picked up a convincing 37-7 win in the first game of their spring season.

Vassar College Men 37 v Colgate University Men 7
Tries: Conor Boylan (1), Omar Fayyaz (1), Rupert Johnson (1), Tom Szymanski (1), Iain Gordon (1), Will Thanhauser (2).
Cons: Adam Steel (1).

Looking at the Colgate team prior to kick-off they all appeared to have been on a steady diet of beef steak. They were big and muscular. So Vassar knew they'd have to get to the breakdown in numbers and focus on winning quick ball. The Vassar back division was changed from the fall to get a look at what might be in the next fall season. Stefan Schwartz returned from having been abroad in New Zealand and moved to inside center. He was partnered with freshman James Purtle because regular starter at 13 Ryan Keeble had twisted his ankle in Thursdays practice. Conor Boylan was back at number 10 as Connor O'Neill is injured. Boylan made an emphatic statement as he blistered past the Colgate defense for a solo try in the first few minutes. It was good to see him run so well then and throughout the game as he had suffered a hamstring injury last fall that kept him sidelined.

The potential Fall 09 lineup meant that co-captain Nick Schmidt went to the wing and another center, Tom Szymanski also was in a flyer role. Both did well although Schmidt injured his knee and may be out for awhile. Szymanski brings an interesting dimension to Vassar wing play. His freight train style is more about power and aggression than finesse! But hey, whatever works! He did score a simple try as the ball went down the backline at the start of the second half and it was good to have the senior back on the field.

Up front the Vassar forwards laid a good foundation and out-rucked their bigger opponents and with Garrett Montgomery sniping and distributing the quickly won ball Colgate was scrambling to get organized in defense. Iain Gordon picked up where he left off last fall and had some powerful runs as well as doing good lineout work.

The overall impression of the game was of Vassar moving the ball away from the rucks quickly and the backs doing a good job of making linebreaks. Also strong Vassar defense as every player put in their one on one tackles. So when Vassar had the ball they were on the front foot while even when Colgate did have the ball there was no way through and they ended up losing ground. There were no Colgate smiles as Vassar kept attacking in waves!

Omar Fayyaz finished off a mazy run scoring Vassar's second try as he came into the line and then bewitched the Colgate fullback. Rupert Johnson scored Vassar's third try and Iain Gordon the fourth. But the encouraging signs for the future were all over the field. Purtle looked solid at 13. Schwartz had one of his trademark dump tackles and ran good lines at 12, and Adam Steel playing his first game on the flank has found a home.

The Vassar scrum was solid as Winston Clement and Rhys Bambrick drove Colgate back and it all added up to a pretty miserable day for the visitors. The halftime was score was 22-0 to the Brewers but the best was yet to come as Will Thanhauser scored 2 tries in the second half to cap a man of the match performance. He also saved a certain try with a cover tackle near the end.

Colgate never launched any sustained attacks and apart from a few deep kicks and a some quick tapped penalties they lacked any pattern in attack. They never gave up and kept tackling throughout the game. They did score a consolation try at the very end of the game from one of those penalty taps but it was of no consequence.

Team: 15 Omar Fayyaz 14 Nick Schmidt 13 James Purtle 12 Stefan Schwartz 11 Tom Szymanski 10 Conor Boylan 9 Garrett Montgomery 1 Winston Clement 2 Kevin Frodell 3 Rhys Bambrick 4 Rupert Johnson 5 Anshu Uppal 6 Adam Steel 7 Will Thanhauser 8 Iain Gordon. Subs: Paul Tkaczuk for Nick Schmidt, Miles Fineburg for Tom Szymanski, Roku Fukui for Paul Tkaczuk.

Team record 2008-09: 6-4-0.

Next: Saturday April 4, 2009 Vassar College Men v University of Albany Men kick-off 2:00 pm at Vassar Farm.

Vassar College Men "B" 33 v Colgate University Men "B" 14
Tries: Roku Fukui (1), Dave Chase (1), Richard So (1), Omar Fayyaz (1), Jon Hootnick (1).
Cons: Roku Fukui (4).

Much like the first game the Vassar forwards dominated and the backs had plenty of opportunity to run and attack. Brian Cavajal had a promising first game at hooker and Aly Massoud showed signs of form but he started late this spring so has a battle on his hands to get back into the starting lineup.

At flyhalf Roku Fukui kept probing and trying to set up his runners and he went over for the first try and converted it himself. Lock Dave Chase scored Vassar's second try and the second try of his rugby career to give Vassar a 14-0 lead. Kornel Krysa played 7 for the first time and his tackling was very good. Vassar never lost the lead and although Colgate did get closer a try from Jon Hootnick sealed the win for the home team.

Team: 15 Miles Fineburg 14 Richard So 13 Omar Fayyaz 12 Adam Steel 11 Jon Hootnick 10 Roku Fukui 9 Danny Thomas 1 Barrington Archer 2 Brian Carvajal 3 Guillermo Farias 4 Tyler Blake 5 Dave Chase 6 Hal Moore 7 Kornel Krysa 8 Aly Massoud. Subs: Garrett Montgomery for Adam Steel.