- Head Coach Tony Brown

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 21, 2015) - On a stunning fall afternoon in New York state the Vassar College Brewers kicked off against the U. S. Coast Guard Academy, winners of the New England Wide Conference, and immediately got into stride with the forwards securing good possession. In fact, after only a few minutes Vassar led 7-0, then 12-0, and it looked like it might be a straightforward win. But although Vassar had established a convincing lead by halftime the visiting Academy regrouped and put in a powerful second half display only conceding one try.
 
Vassar College Women 37 v 0 Coast Guard Women
Tries: Nathalie Freeman (1), Lauren Workman (1), Darienne Jones (2),
Taylor Nunley (1), Cierra Thomas (1), & Laila Blumenthal-Rothchild (1).
Cons: Mary Margaret McElduff (1).

They say that it starts up front and the T-shirt reads, "Forwards win matches" and that was certainly the case early on in this absorbing match-up between two conference champions. But the back of the T-shirt reads, "And the Backs decide by how much," and some excellent running from the Vassar centers made sure possessions were turned into points. Cierra Thomas and Laila Blumenthal-Rothchild have struck up a good partnership this year and did well. They were less effective in the second half, however, which did not alter the result but made for a tough second 40 minutes.
 
Flanker Natalie Freeman opened the Vassar account and it reflected the initial dominance of the Vassar pack and with Mary Margaret McElduff's conversion Vassar led 7-0. McElduff had a good defensive day and she struck the ball well but in the second half there were a couple of hiccups with distribution.
 
The Vassar pack drove the Coast Guard back in just about every scrum and it made for poor quality ball to the visitors backs. Vassar lock Lauren Workman drove over to make it 12-0 and had her trademark day with elbows and knees flying in all directions. Coast Guard then managed to get some possession and apply pressure but apart from individual flurries they did not truly threaten the goal line until near the very end of the half. Prior to that last couple of minutes Darienne Jones and Taylor Nunley scored for the Brewers. Nunley's try was a delightful run laced with some nimble footwork while Jones took a more direct route.
 
Vassar had 4 tries in the book and 1 conversion and led 22-0. Coast Guard was being harried and a loose pass was pounced upon by Cierra Thomas who zipped through to score the team's fifth try and establish a 27-0 lead.
 
Coast Guard went through the phases and Vassar gave away a few too many penalties that also meant lost territory but the Brewers held the attack up. When they quickly went back down the field with a couple of line breaks it was Laila Blumenthal-Rothchild who swerved and sprinted to make it 32-0 after 40 minutes.
 
The second half performance from Coast Guard saw them come flying out of the blocks and Vassar seemed to be less intense at the breakdown. It allowed the Academy to get some momentum and they kept fighting and tackling for the entire 40 minutes. The Vassar defense held firm and early on Darienne Jones scored the only try of the half for Vassar.
 
The Brewers had been in a dog-fight and what looked at one point like what might be a big win was a hard fought victory. It was so encouraging to see the subs come on and do a good job defensively. Oshana Reich had a wonderful tackle on the right touchline and Kayla Lightner also made a good couple of tackles. There were some good defensive contributions all round with Cierra Thomas, Darienne Jones, and others trying to improve on this aspect of their game. Playing good rugby without the ball is essential to success.
 
The win moves Vassar into the last 8 in the country and they will face Bowdoin College tomorrow at The Farm with the kick-off at 11:00 am. Bowdoin defeated Kutztown University 43-24. The winner tomorrow is the Northeast Region Champion.
 
In the other regional, the Mid-Atlantic also hosted at Vassar, it was a big scoring affair in both games. Bloomsburg University defeated Rutgers University 90-5 meanwhile Ithaca College was tied 43-43 with St. Michael's College at fulltime. In overtime Ithaca prevailed 48-43. The winner of Bloomsburg and Ithaca will be the Mid-Atlantic Champion. Both regional winners advance to the Fall Final 4 to be played December 5th & 6th at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina.
 
Team: 15 Rachel Elson 14 Anne Fritzson 13 Laila Blumenthal-Rothchild 12 Cierra Thomas 11 Abigail Alexander 10 Mary Margaret McElduff 9 Jyen Wong 1 Darienne Jones 2 Kristina Catomeris 3 Mariah Ghant 4 Lauren Workman 5 Amanda Saich 6 Sarah Mawhinney 7 Nathalie Freeman 8 Taylor Nunley. Subs: Miranda Scarlata for Nathalie Freeman, Kayla Lightner for Laila Blumenthal-Rothchld, Oshana Reich for Lauren Workman.
 
Overall record: 10-1-0
 
Next: Sunday November 22nd, 2015 Vassar College Women versus Bowdoin College Women at Vassar Farm, kick-off 11:00 am.