Annandale-on Hudson, NY - Bard College hosted teams from SUNY-Oneonta, Union College and Vassar College for their Invitational 7s Tournament. This was an opportunity for the Vassar players to further prepare for next weekend's Beast of the East Tournament in Portsmouth, RI. So, on this wet, chilly and almost miserable day the Brewers put together some good 7s, scored 16 tries in 3 games, kicked 7 conversions and ran out overall winners defeating all the other teams.
Vassar College Men 39 v 0 Union College Men
Tries: TJ Usher (1), Luca Pereira Frears (1), Ben Remy (1), Ezra Potts (1), Matheo Dwyer (3).
Cons: Kaiden Tocher (2) .
Vassar was without a number of key players and the loss of starters
Jack Gibberd and
Mark Gislason, the hooker and flyhalf was certainly cause for concern. Gibberd had been in good form as evidenced by his play and try against SUNY-New Paltz last weekend. Meanwhile Gislason had shown some nice touches and evasive running.
Vassar's
Kaiden Tocher stepped into the pivot role and looked comfortable and senior
Ezra Potts added some pace to the lineup. Vassar kicked off and Union ran straight and hard with their first few possessions but captain
Matheo Dwyer made a couple of crunching tackles that set the tone for the game. The Garnet Chargers would not be allowed to run through the Vassar defence.
As the game went on Union never really got into the match as because Vassar dominated the breakdown and then did a good job of pushing the ball wide. Yes, there were a few wayward passes but all in all, given the slippery conditions, the team performed well. A tally of 7 tries with 5 different scorers was a deserved return for the solid effort.
Team: 1 Luca Pereira Frears 2 Ezra Potts 3 Dimitrios Tzepos 9 Matheo Dwyer 10 Kaiden Tocher 12 TJ Usher 14 Ben Remy.
Vassar College Men 26 v 0 Bard College Men
Tries: TJ Usher (1), Ben Remy (1), Matheo Dwyer (1), Dimitrios Tzepos (1).
Cons: Kaiden Tocher (3).
The hosts, coached by former Vassar player and team captain Garrett Montgomery, moved the ball when in possession to the wings and tackled with real ferocity. It took the Vassar team time to work the ball into space and it was Vassar's electric center
TJ Usher that scooted through for try number one of this match. The score settled the Vassar team down and when speedster
Ben Remy notched his first try the result never looked in doubt.
The team was able to get the ball wide but tended to drift, lessening the space for the outside player. At halftime emphasis was placed on letting the ball do the work, to stay composed and to continue to press defensively. In the end Vassar kept a clean sheet and with Tocher's 3 of 4 conversions it was a comfortable win.
Team: 1 Luca Pereira Frears 2 Ezra Potts 3 Dimitrios Tzepos 9 Matheo Dwyer 10 Kaiden Tocher 12 TJ Usher 14 Ben Remy.
Vassar College Men 29 v 7 SUNY-Oneonta Men
Tries: Kaiden Tocher (2),
TJ Usher (1),
Matheo Dwyer (1),
Max Czekaj (1).
Cons: Kaiden Tocher (2) .
SUNY-Oneonta, like Vassar, had brought a squad of players to the tournament and had a couple of dangerous runners. But the upstate school is still very inexperienced and at this point Vassar was starting to gel. Tocher at flyhalf had a good match and along the way he collected 2 tries and slotted 2 conversions. The team was now looking to link up more frequently and keep the ball available and it was paying dividends.
TJ Usher was a constant threat with his sidestepping runs but his game has matured and he is now recognising when to pull back and distribute the ball. Vassar scored 5 tries and the last was when
Max Czekaj was put away down the left wing. Even from 30 yards out it looked a certain score as the lone covering player from Oneonta was their scrumhalf who was barely a quarter of the size of Czekaj. In this matchup it was Goliath that defeated David!
Team: 1 Luca Pereira Frears 2 Ezra Potts 3 Dimitrios Tzepos 9 Matheo Dwyer 10 Kaiden Tocher 12 TJ Usher 14 Ben Remy.
Subs: Max Czekaj for Dimitrios Tzepos & Tony Mwanga for TJ Usher.
Vassar College Men B 0 v 31 Bard College Men A
This was a bridge too far for the Brewers team that consisted of 3 completely novice players, 2 players in their second semester of rugby and just 2 more experienced players who were playing out of position! That the team managed to stop Bard from scoring after line breaks that went right down to the goal line was a credit to their effort and bravery. But in attack the Brewers had little cohesion and they gifted Bard 3 interceptions that went for tries. Vassar players Nico Reyes Cardoza,
Sahaj Sharma and Ben Kaplan played for Union and Bard and also exhibited 100% commitment helping those teams compete throughout the tournament.
Team: 1 Max Czekaj 2 Robin Auwaeter 3 Malcolm Oth 9 Owen McManus 10 Mo Decarvalho 12 Ken Kabeya 14 Tony Mwanga.
Next: Saturday & Sunday April 12th & 13th, 2025 at the Beast of the East Tournament, Portsmouth, RI.
