Providence, RI - This game was always going to be a big challenge for the Brewers since Brown University is a Varsity program. Add in the fact that nine starters from the Fall Championship team were not in the lineup, there were five freshmen, four sophomores and only two seniors and it was even more so. This was scheduled as a development game with the thought that Brown had a B-side or at least their 15 starters would not take the field.

Vassar College Women 0 v 71 Brown University Women
At the half it was 47-0 to the home team and it had been pretty much one way traffic. There were plenty of good individual moments but mostly last ditch efforts to stop a try that just slowed the Brown progress as a support player would pop up and finish the job.

Jude Robinson made a number of fine tackles and there was plenty of practice for the fullback! Katie Canavan, playing her first ever game at center, making some inroads, not too bad for a hooker. Yasmeen Kassem-Scott tore around the field making a lot of tackles and carried often from Number 8. Kasey Drake was rock steady at flyhalf and Julie Geller made a nuisance of herself with the ball. 

But the silky running of the Brown backs in broken field, after tackles were missed, was too much to handle for the Vassar team. Brown also backed their physicality and dominated all the collisions with and without the ball. Harsh lessons were learnt and the hope is that Vassar will get back on the practice field and strive to be as good as their hosts.

The Brown University Women's program is on the right track. 13 of the 15 starters were recruited rugby players to the program and the walk-ons may not have had previous rugby experience but they will do well to back their athleticism and learn the systems. Brown will be challenging Dartmouth, Harvard and Army for the NIRA title sooner rather than later.

Team: 15 Jude Robinson 14 Danny White 13 Mette McKinney 12 Katie Canavan 11 Jamie Marinez 10 Kasey Drake 9 Zoe Lynch 1 Julie Geller 2 Lola Yost 3 Andi Authers 4 Julia Wolff 5 Sylvia Martinez 6 Louise Ambler 7 Sam Tang 8 Yameen Kassem-Scott. Subs: Nina Fishman, Gillian Ciccio, Annie Adams, Elise Johnson & Becca Middlen.

Next weekend: Sunday April 16th, 2023 Vassar College Women at The Tri-State Conference 7s Championship at Stony Brook University. Games start at 10:00 am