PRINCETON, NJ (April 21, 2012) -- There were a few nervous moments prior to the start of this game and certainly the size of the AIC pack would have caused even Martin Johnson to raise his eyebrow and furrow his brow with some concern. But the Vassar team to a person was up for this contest and they exploded out of the blocks to compliment the sunny day in Princeton. The Brewers scored eight tries, kicked six conversions, and but for two short periods in each half, dominated the AIC team en route to a 52-12 victory.

Along the way, O'Mara Taylor set a new school record for number of tries in a season to best Danika Oriol-Morway's 32. Taylor scored tries taking her tally to 33 this year and it was the right winger's foot that also added the extras. She also now holds the record for most points in a season topping Vassar's Val Griffeth.

Vassar Women Vassar College Women 52 v 12 American International College (AIC) Women
Tries: Margaret Kwateng (3), Addie Provenzano (1) O'Mara Taylor (3), Dallas Robinson (1).
Cons: O'Mara Taylor (6).

Next: Sunday April 22, 2012 at the USA Rugby National Championship Quarterfinal round versus Norwich University Women at Princeton University kick-off 8:00 a.m.

Vassar knew exactly what they were facing against AIC. A big scrum, a good running number 8, and an attack that was going to be all about running hard off the fringes of the ruck. The question was, could the Brewers front 5 ensure good ball on their own put in and how would they stand-up on the opposition ball?

It was wonderful to see the Vassar front row of Nichelle Jackson, Alyssa Bell, and Shanaye Williams get low, fire-in on the engage, and then, not just hold their own but shunt AIC backwards! Williams played rugby at Elizabeth HS in NJ and she was outstanding. Jackson started rugby at Vassar and she was brilliant. Bell played HS rugby in Pennsylvania and she took several strikes against the head and was perfect on the day. That kind of commitment inspires the players behind them and it proved a key component in the win.

Margaret Kwateng ran the show and kept the AIC forwards gasping for oxygen. Any infringement was quickly dealt with and she and others linked to good effect.

The opening try was scored by Kwateng when she gathered a loose ball after a tackle and split the AIC defense to go 40 yards and score under the posts. A second try from Addie Provenzano when the fullback ran a lovely line to the outside saw Vassar go ahead 14-0 inside 10 minutes. AIC responded with forward drives and sustained some pressure for about 10 minutes in the Vassar half and into the 22. But the Brewers defense held and it seemed to take the wind out of their formidably sized opponents. Then came a killer blow as the ball was worked to O'Mara Taylor and she went 60 plus yards for a try and it was 21-0 with 10 minutes left in the half.

Vassar did not deal well with kick-offs and they turned the ball over with simple knock-ons and had the ball ripped away sometimes, all of which allowed AIC a glimmer of hope. But AIC gave away needless penalties at the breakdown and their ball placement was poor. Vassar managed to counter-ruck and the Brewers now knew they could more than handle their opponent. A fourth try before halftime was scored by Dallas Robinson who is in fine form and she dove under the posts after the forwards had done good work. AIC scored a try when the ball was lost at  tackle in the center and they moved the turnover ball quickly to their left and found the fullback who showed good speed. At the half it was 28-7.

In the center Laura Howard had some strong runs and was able to get over the gainline. She did throw one poor pass but her angles were good and she broke through several times. The key for Vassar was keeping the tempo of the game upbeat. AIC tend to be slow around the field and that allied to re-set scrums and the stoppages for injuries meant that the game was in danger of being very stop-start. But the Brewers kept their feet on the gas and credit is due all for succeeding.

In the lineouts freshman Meg Slattery reigned supreme. She took all her own ball and stole some from AIC's Jess Davis. In fact the much vaunted Number 8 Davis had a quiet afternoon. She did have a couple of runs from the base of the scrum but was quickly closed down and she did make the pass that led to AIC's first try, but that was about it on attack for her. She was strong in defense and made a host of tackles but she could offer a lot more with a wider style of game.

So Vassar made the all important first score of the second half and led 35-7 and then they added another 2 tries to make it 47-7 as Taylor ad Kwateng scampered over the line. Vassar rang the changes and all the substitutes were rolled on by the time the final 10 minutes mark had been reached. AIC did rumble over for a pick 'n go try near the end but Vassar's subs had the last say as they created a scoring opportunity which Taylor gleefully accepted and it was 52-12.

This lopsided result does beg the question whether a Conference winner should head straight to nationals? In the Northeast this past Fall a host of better teams had to playoff regionally to earn the right to be at Princeton. For selfish reasons, and this is not directed at AIC, the NE Conference winner did not play against the other top teams! Norwich, Vassar, Bowdoin, Rutger's, URI, Coast Guard, Fredonia, and Binghamton all played off to get to Nationals. Looking at the close result between Vassar and URI 30-22 and the fact that Rutger's only lost by a point to Vassar, 20-19, it's clear that some deserving teams would have wanted to compete for that playoff slot. No doubt the administrators will need to look at the playoff allocations carefully in the future.

The Vassar College Women face Norwich University Women tomorrow and on the line is a trip to Palo Alto, CA for the Final 4 and a National title. The cadets pose a different set of problems for the Brewers but Vassar has had over 4 months to dwell on these and figure out how to win. Stay tuned for a battle royal early Sunday morning.

A huge, huge thank you is due to the great support Vassar had at the game today. Alumni from the Classes of '55, '74, '80 '81, '11 and more cheered for their Brewers alongside parents and friends.

Rain is forecast for tomorrow so you better get an umbrella and be a part of the crowd! 

Team: 15 Addie Provenzano 14 O'Mara Taylor 13 Chelsea Boccagno 12 Laura Howard 11 Julia Maltby 10 Hannah Bober 9 Margaret Kwateng 1 Nichelle Jackson 2 Alyssa Bell 3 Shanaye Williams 4 Maddie Zappala 5 Patty Walton 6 Dallas Robinson 7 Meg Slattery 8 Nicole Guererro.

Subs: Gavriella Kaplan for Hannah Bober, Natalie Ward for Chelsea Boccagno, Yael Schwartz for Margaret Kwateng, Hannah Fink for O'Mara Taylor, Sandy Pogarcic for Patty Walton, Emma Redden for Laura Howard, Sophia Rutkin for Meg Slattery.

Traveling reserves: Emma Kading, Tamasha Persaud, Emma Elbaum, Mia Chatterjee, Rachel Thompson, Claire Ashley, Julia McGill, and Maddie Little.