Collegiate Rugby
Vassar College Women

Charlotte, NC
December 1, 2018
 
Deja-vu as Vassar Women Defeat Coast Guard in National Semifinal
This time last year Vassar played the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and jumped ahead 29-0 after the first 40 minutes. The stakes were the same, a place in the National Championship Final, but the weather this time was soaking wet and the Bears were hungry for revenge. In the Academy lineup was second row National squad member Hayden Short and the team had pace to die for on the left wing. The Vassar Women had watched their opponent 2 weeks ago at the Regional playoffs and they knew what to expect. It's one thing to know what you have to do and quite another to execute. By half time it was Vassar who led 24-7 as they dominated possession and territory.
 
Vassar College Women 43 v 26 U.S. Coast Guard Academy Women
Tries: Kate Sworden (3), Oshana Reich (2), Jennie To (1), Meg Martin (1).
Cons: Aislinn Vences-Dimas (4).
The rainfall was steady and so was Vassar's start to the game. Passing was always going to be difficult in these wet conditions so the Vassar pack opted to pick running straight and hard at the defense and all eight are to be credited with good ball placement. Coast Guard put in some big hits on the fringes but the forwards stayed composed and the ball was recycled. The referee did a good job of talking to the players and keeping them onside and Vassar moved down the field making yards on most carries.
 
Last year Vassar's Kate Sworden missed out on playing at the Final 4 due to injury. This year she scored the first of the 7 tries that Vassar would accumulate in this match and in fact added a further 2 for herself thus collecting a hattrick. To state that she was sorely missed last year is an understatement but she is hell bent on making amends! 
 
The first 20 minutes was all Vassar and Sworden's try was followed by Oshana Reich going over. The Vassar flyhalf Aislinn Vences-Dimas, nicknamed "Ice" was as cool as a cucumber and had a good day distributing the ball and from the tee. She slotted 4 conversions that kept the scoreboard ticking over. There was no need for the Vassar pack to deviate from the close running game as they were able to make good ground. Sworden and Reich added further scores and although Coast Guard scored late in the half Vassar was well in command at 24-7.
 
But the Bears started the second half with a bang and went almost the full length of the field to make it 24-14. A 10-point margin seemed a tad slender given that the Academy had such speedsters who could crack the game open in a few seconds. The Vassar response was as emphatic as it was needed. The pack pounded away allowing scrumhalf Jennie To to dive over from just a yard out. 29-14 looked better and it also took the wind out of the Coast Guard sails!
 
But once again the Academy answered with yet another long scoring try and it was a 10-point margin. Vassar switched up their lines of attack and again made yards. The Vassar scrum was dominant from start to finish and even when Coast Guard won ball it was being shunted back! As early as the first half they opted for lineouts rather than scrums but at the end of the game the statistics showed that they did not win a single lineout. Vassar's monopoly of possession paid dividends when Sworden scored her third try and 34-19 became 36-19 with the successful conversion. It must have seemed to the Coast Guard that everytime they inched back in to the game Vassar went further away.
 
The Vassar lineout drive was solid and Vassar prop Meg Martin scored Vassar's 7th try, so at 43-19 with about 10 minutes left the result was not in question. Coast Guard did pick up a consolation try at the end and they will face the University of Cincinnati tomorrow in the third and fourth place game.
 
The Brewers will play Winona State in the final, like the semifinals, it is the same opponent as last year. The defending champion Winona State are in their 6th final 4 in 6 years and will be a tough nut to crack but to be the National Fall Champion you need to beat all the teams. Game on!
 
Team: 15 Rebekah Graham 14 Caroline James 13 Emma Manzella 12 Molly Lynch 11 Julia Busby 10 Aislinn Vences-Dimas 9 Jennie To 1 Kate Sworden 2 Marron McConnell 3 Kaitlin Prado 4 Miranda Scarlata 5 Maddie Crump 6 Halle Hutchinson 7 Danielle Kaminski 8 Oshana Reich.
Subs: Meg Martin for Halle Hutchinson, Aisha Malik for Danielle Kaminski, Catherine Gladstone for Maddie Crump.
 
Overall record: 13-0-0
 
Next: Sunday, December 2, 2018 — USA Rugby National Women's Division II Fall Championship Final 4, Championship Game vs. Winona State University, kick-off 3:00 pm.