POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 6, 2010) -- In the Northeast Rugby Union quarterfinal game against a speedy and adventurous Boston University team, the Vassar College women's rugby team came up just a point short in a 31-30 thriller of a game.

The Met. NY Champion Brewers (5-3-1) will resume play in the Spring.

It had been a season that might not have even seen Vassar field a team! Just eight returning experienced players and three upperclassmen willing to give the sport a try assembled in late August and eventually a small squad took the field. So, for the Vassar Women to win the Metropolitan New York Division II title last weekend and qualify for the playoffs was something special. A young and inexperienced team gave it their all, scoring six tries while Boston scored five with three conversions.

Vassar started to go up by two unconverted tries to lead 10-0 and seemed headed to the Final 4 in the Northeast. Boston has had a good season and their back division is quick and prepared to chance their arm. Their forwards began to get a steady supply of possession and once they made a couple of significant line breaks at 10 and 12 they sensed that they could score. They did just that when their nippy flyhalf Miranda Wakimoto danced around Hannah Bober to score near the posts. So after about 25 minutes it was 10-7 but BU again made serious inroads and went ahead 14-10 and it stayed that way until the end of the first half.

BU started the second half full of vim and vigor and scored a good try to really out the Brewers on their heels. At 19-10 they were in the drivers seat and Vassar needed to gain possession to prevent the BU backs from running. But again BU struck and they were booking their hotel in Brunswick for next weekend. Down 24-10 Vassar would need to score 3 times.

The Vassar comeback illustrated the character of this squad as the forwards picked and drove and the backs bashed their way over the gain line. Two tries made it 24-20 and again Vassar was punching forward. The Brewers were only three yards from the goal-line and they won a ruck right near the posts. It looked a certain score but Bober's pass was intercepted and BU's Christina Vailas went the length of the field to score at the other end! It was a bullet through the home team hearts.

So at 31-20 Vassar was looking at another mountain to climb. But again the women responded and scored 2 tries as time wound down! Unfortunately, at 31-30 and the conversion to come the angle and distant was too far so they elected not to kick and get the game restarted. Only a minute remained and BU kicked long before Vassar ran out of time. It was a real heartbreaker for this group but they had demonstrated incredible will and determination.

Vassar College Women 30 v Boston University Women 31
Tries: Keri Peacock (2), O'Mara Taylor (1), Margaret Kwateng (2), & Dallas Robinson (1).

Team: 15 Addie Provenzano 14 Margaret Kwateng 13 Laura Howard 12 Julia Nissen 11 Jessica Lance 10 Hannah Bober 9 Keri Peacock 1 Nichelle Jackson 2 Kim Beaudoin 3 Alyssa Bell 4 Patty Walton 5 Kate Merlie 6 Dana Hart 7 Dallas Robinson 8 O'Mara Taylor.