POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 3, 2013) - The Vassar men made the shortest of journey's down the hill toward the Hudson River to face local rivals Marist College. Last year, Marist won 3 games by single score margins against Vassar and they had not lost a game this Fall in the conference. So the Red Foxes were probably quite confident that they could handle matters. But Vassar was in a must-win situation to be sure of qualifying for the conference playoffs and it was a case of put-up or shut-up. Captains Karl Foley and Andrew Jdaydani led from the front on the field even if they were a tad late for departure. What followed was a solid display of disciplined rugby.
Vassar College Men 34 v Marist College Men 12
Tries: Brian Heil (1), Geoff Matthes (1), Kenta Hasui (1), & Andrew Jdaydani (2).
Cons: Nich Graham (3).
Pens: Nich Graham (1).
It was pretty much a given that Marist would provide a serious hard running attack for they tend to have good athletes. That the Vassar defense held was probably as much due to attitude and the knowledge that they could not afford to leak points as it was technique. But the beauty is to ally aggression with technique and tactics and the brewers did a good job of sticking to the game plan.
There were some "unscripted" moments that brought forth a few choice comments from the touchline but all in all the structure and discipline was good. Both teams had the services of a good referee on the day and his talking at the breakdown made it easy for the players to avoid penalties thus allowing the game some flow.
Vassar scored early when Nich Graham kicked a penalty and it was a fair reward for their initial territorial advantage. There was a real sharpness about the forwards and once they knew they could compete in the rucks the quality of ball was good. Vassar went further ahead when Brian Heil sliced through and the VRDT participant put the Brewers ahead 8-0. Vassar was playing into a strong breeze and Marist kicked well on a couple of occasions but fullback Alan Hagins, just returned to the lineup after injury dealt with what they sent his way. In fact the sophomore was a serious threat with the ball in hand and had a very good day at the office.
The forwards provided good ball from set piece but it was in the loose where they excelled. The support was very close and it needed to be for Marist are a strong team at the breakdown.
Vassar's next score was a real gem. The forwards picked and drove and then suddenly on the narrowest of blindsides from a ruck 6'4" and 230 lbs loosehead prop Geoff Matthes was tip-toeing and sprinting in from 40 meters! Marist had run out of defenders or they just thought there wasn't enough room for the nimble footed giant! Graham slotted the extras and it was 15-0.
Marist compounded their situation when they tried to run from their own line and a loose pass as jumped on by flanker Kenta Hasui. Now it was 22-0 and the Brewers could sense this might be their day.
Vassar had 3 tries in the bag and needed a fourth to earn a bonus point but the main focus still remained just the win. Marist came roaring back as one would expect from last year's conference winner and they were held up just inches short of the line but to their dismay the first half expired and Vassar could breath a sigh of relief.
The second half bore witness to darkening skies and a bitter cold wind blowing off the river made conditions difficult. But the Vassar men kept their shape and Number 8 Andrew Jdaydani went over to make it 29-0. Foley made a poor decision to run a penalty when he could have put Vassar deep in Marist territory with the boot of Nich Graham. In fact Graham's kicking on the day was excellent, for touch and goal, as he connected on 4 of 6 to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
So with about 15 minutes left Marist finally crossed the Vassar goal line and they quickly added a second. Vassar had eased up but credit the speedy Marist backs with some good handling and it was now 29-12.
Vassar had the last say when Jdaydani went over for his brace and the final score of two tries a piece in the second half left it at 34-12 in Vassar's favor.
Probably every player deserves a mention - Matt Brown toiled in the front row and did well; Adam D'Agostino had a solid game; Jerry Dieudonne was a rock in the center, and the wings made something of nothing when they were called upon. But credit the forwards as a whole for rucking strongly and looking after the ball in contact. The old saying goes, it's the forwards that win the game and thevbacks who determine by how much.
Thanks to the Alumni present - James Purtle, Hal Moore, and O'Mara Taylor for their support. But please let's get into the corporate world and less of the non-profits as we need a clubhouse!
Vassar advances to the Conference playoffs and will take on the Pirates of Seton Hall University next Sunday at the neutral venue of Fairfield University. More of the same will be required and then some!
Team: 15 Alan Hagins 14 Jacob Adelgren 13 Brian Heil 12 Jerry Dieudonne 11 Jesse Myhill 10 Nich Graham 9 Karl Foley 1 Geoff Matthes 2 Adam D'Agostino 3 Matt Brown 4 Louis Khourey 5 Zach Rippe 6 Kenta Hasui 7 Erik Quinson 8 Andrew Jdaydani. Subs: Matthew Montgomery for Adam D'Agostino, John Loree for Matt Brown, Wade Crouch for Matthew Montgomery.
Overall record: 6-3-0.
Next week: Sunday November 10th, 2013 at Tri-State Conference Championship hosted by Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT kick-off 11:45 am versus Seton Hall University.
Vassar College Men "B" 0 v Marist College Men "B" 22
The Vassar Men were unable to establish any kind of reliable platform and struggled to get worthwhile possession. It was a shame as the back division looked promising but rarely had front foot ball. In the loose the aggressive and physical Marist players really put themselves about and that too meant they got the lion's share of the ball.
It didn't help matters that the team as a whole tackled poorly and they fell behind a couple of tries in the first quarter. The cold and windy conditions didn't help any players spirits but an improved second half saw Vassar only concede 1 try.
Team: 15 Seamus Taylor 14 Jesse Myhill 13 Eli Vargas 12 Nich Johnson 11 Jacob Adelgren 10 Stoddard Meigs 9 Jake Sheehy 1 Justin Riley 2 Eric Santacruz 3 Raleigh Smith 4 Adam D'Agostino 5 Wade Crouch 6 Orion Morrison-Worrell 7 Brian Heil 8 John Loree. Subs: Zach Rippe for Jesse Myhill, Nich Graham for Brian Heil, Matt Brown for Adam D'Agostino, Erik Quinson for Jacob Adelgren.
"B" side overall record: 4-2-0.
