For Immediate Release
Collegiate Rugby
Vassar College Women
In Portsmouth, RI
On Saturday & Sunday April 22 & 23, 2017
At The Beast of the East Tournament
Brewers Beat UConn to win Tournament Title
Sunday April 23, 2017 – Women's Division I Championship Final
Vassar College Women 15 v 7 University of Connecticut Women
Tries: Rachel Elson (1), Lauren Workman (1).
Cons: Mary Margaret McElduff (1).
Pens: Mary Margaret McElduff (1).
Three weeks ago, back on April 1st of this year, the Vassar Women hosted UConn Women at the Farm and won 15-5. But UConn had not begun their spring season while Vassar had been on tour to Spain and played 3 games. The UConn team took time to adjust and was probably caught short of match practice.
Last weekend UConn traveled to Washington D.C. where they played in the Cherry Blossom Tournament and went undefeated winning the Women's Division. So the stage was set for a good final between two evenly matched teams.
There was a real edge to Vassar's performance as they sought to win the championship and right from the kick-off it was clear that this would be a bruising encounter. Even though both schools had already played 3 games and both schools had put their B-sides in the Division III bracket, there was total commitment. Early on Vassar was winning those collisions and a couple of injuries to UConn players seemed to disrupt their game. The Vassar forwards really took the game to the Huskies and when the ball was spun wide Rachel Elson dived over in the corner to put the Brewers up 5-0.
UConn did run strongly off the fringes and then push the ball wide to their speedsters but the cover defense of the Vassar team was exemplary. Abby Alexander made one covering tackle that will be a part of Vassar rugby folklore as she covered the full width of the pitch and crushed the UConn wing that was threatening to outflank the defense.
Nathalie Freeman had not been able to play in the April 1st UConn game so the flanker was utterly determined to put in a quality performance and be part of a winning team. She did just that and had numerous breaks that put Vassar on the front foot.
Vassar went further ahead and led 12-0 after Lauren Workman scored and Mary Margaret McElduff converted. But even with this lead the game was still evenly balanced. UConn finally broke the Vassar defense in the second half to make it 12-7 and a one score game. There was plenty of time for them to win. But Vassar counter-attacked well when UConn kicked and the tireless forwards got back in numbers to secure possession.
As the game entered the last 5-7 minutes Vassar was awarded a penalty directly in front of the UConn posts about 30 yards out. Mary Margaret McElduff stepped up to take the kick for goal and cool as a cucumber, Vassar's All-Time Leading Kicker connected on her first ever penalty kick to make it 15-7. It was the nail in the coffin for UConn as there was probably not enough time for 2 scores.
Team: 15 Rachel Elson 14 Abby Alexander 13 Laila Blumenthal-Rothchild 12 Alicia Menard-Livingston 11 Michelle Urrutia 10 Mary Margaret McElduff 9 Jennie To 1 Kate Sworden 2 Andi Ramsay 3 Mariah Ghant 4 Miranda Scarlata 5 Lauren Workman 6 Claire Fondrie-Teitler 7 Nathalie Freeman 8 Oshana Reich. Subs: Kayla Lightner for Michelle Urrutia, Megan de Koning for Claire Fondrie-Teitler.
Overall record: 20-3-0
Epilogue
The Vassar teams (Men & Women) played 11 games over two days, compiling an overall record of 8-2-1. They scored a total of 46 tries in those 11 games comprising 490 minutes. Collectively, the three teams averaged a try every eleven minutes! The teams scored 273 points and conceded just 88.
W-L-T Tries Cons Pen Pts For Pts Against
Women "A" 4-0-0 22 12 1 137 17
Men "A" 1-1-1 6 2 0 34 46
Women "B" 3-1-0 18 6 0 102 25
There is always an emphasis when reporting games to focus on the final result and the scorers. But there are a host of other individual victories to celebrate so here are some of those that come to mind:
The Rookies who got lots of playing time and came through with a huge jump in their learning of the sport. The women: Meredith Leder, Yume Murphy, Olivia Clopton Foster, Danielle Kaminski, Kayla Vasquez, Amy Hansen and Caroline James. The men: Theo Lewis Lawrence, Comus Hardman, Ryan Chan, Reese Guo, Ankit Khosla, Rob Eder, Evan Roberts, Nate Cuson, Jim Wang and Brian Lee.
The Seniors who stepped up in a variety of ways and took responsibility for matters both on the field and off.
The Captains who led by example and have continued the Vassar tradition of excellence.
The Players who have trusted and bought into what we do, how we do it and why we do it.
The Athletic Trainers who have worked to help those injured get back on the field. In particular, Josh Chason who spent his honeymoon at The Beast this year!
Thank you to the many family members, supporters and friends who supported the team this weekend and throughout the season. Your interest and care has extended way beyond solely your son, daughter or a single student. It is truly a community that provides support for our VC Rugby players.
--VASSAR--
