Poughkeepsie, NY - It was number 1 versus number 2 in the Conference regular season finale as the Brewers hosted Fairfield University at the Vassar Preserve. It was a grey cloudy day with a thin veil of rain, more drizzle than drops, and it was chilly but Vassar was determined to move the ball wide. Apart from a couple of line breaks by Fairfield in the first 40 minutes there was little significant threat as Vassar manufactured 3 tries over that same time period.

Vassar College Women 29 v 5 Fairfield University Women
Tries: Rosie Perkinson (2), Emma Niehaus (1), Eleanor Jacoby (1), AC Smith (1).
Cons: Nadya LaMarr (2).

Five weeks ago, back on October 4th, Vassar defeated Fairfield 36-15 in Connecticut and the home team led at the half 10-5. The Brewers knew that they'd have to be in sync and play well to earn a victory. Both teams are headed to the postseason so need tough games to prepare for strong opponents and this was just what the doctor ordered.

Vassar played expansively in the opening 25 minutes and although that put more pressure on the players it was a necessity given that the team needs to be more proficient and multifaceted moving forward.

In the first half territory and possession favored Vassar but a whole slew of uncharacteristic knock-ons together with some basic turnovers kept giving the ball back to Fairfield. Last weekend Vassar only allowed Marist University 5 possessions in the first half and in stark contrast Fairfield had the ball 5 times in the first 10 minutes.

Vassar opened the scoring with a nice try finished by fullback Rosie Perkinson and then co-captain Emma Niehaus rumbled over and the Brewers led 12-0. Fairfield responded and managed to get around the outside after some slick ball handling only for the Vassar number 15 to make an excellent open field tackle. Vassar's defense was being tested and despite some creaking at times it was holding up. Improvement for the playoffs must be a priority.

A third try was collected by Eleanor Jacoby and was very deserved. Jacoby is a tireless worker and epitomises the honest forward. She tackles and jumps back in the defensive line, runs straight and hard, always looking to help the team. It pushed the Vassar lead to 19-0 and after 40 minutes the Brewers were able to take stock of their efforts and make adjustments for the second half.

The main talking point in the halftime circle concerned cutting out the errors. Too many dropped passes and the ball being handed over to Fairfield might allow them back into the contest. As the second half unfolded Vassar never looked like surrendering the lead and scored first when prop forward AC Smith dived over from close range to make it 24-0. There were a couple of missed tackles that allowed Fairfield to get on the scoresheet but Vassar would have the last say as Perkinson got a second try.

As stated earlier, both teams will advance to the postseason. Fairfield will head to the West Region and will play in Springfield, Missouri. Meanwhile, Vassar goes to the Midwest and plays in Indianapolis. The specific teams in each region will be announced officially on Monday November 9th, 2026 by National Collegiate Rugby, however, some possibilities include the University of Cincinnati, University of Minnesota-Winona, Bowling Green State University and Northwestern University.

Vassar will play on Friday November 13th, 2026 and again on either Saturday or Sunday.

For full details on the National Collegiate Rugby Championship XVs go to this link:
https://ncr.rugby/xvs-nationals/

Team: 15 Rosie Perkinson 14 Nadya LaMarr 13 Ella Maniatis 12 Makaela Weldon 11 Sadye Krell 10 Sabine Weil 9 Leah Dourmashkin 1 Cae Bardsley-Cutler 2 Annika Szturma 3 AC Smith 4 Jo Ellis 5 Tate Wagner 6 Ellie Carr 7 Eleanor Jacoby 8 Emma Niehaus. 
Subs: Chloe Ellis for Nadya LaMarr.

Record: 9-0-0.

Next: Friday November 13, 2026 Vassar College Women at the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Regional Playoffs in Indianapolis, IN (Midwest Region). Round of 16 games will be played at 2:00 and 4:00 pm.

Vassar College Women B 15 v 7 SUNY-New Paltz A
Tries: Alex Harris (1), Dea Edwards (1), Lila Gallivan (1).
The Vassar players who took the field against SUNY-New Paltz were chomping at the bit to get game time. The small rosters of opponents this year has meant no B-side games and so the best way to learn has been unavailable to them.

It was very satisfying to see these players put in such a good performance and get to test their skills under real fire. The forwards did well to follow the example of Meg Carpenter, Dea Edwards and Emi Mitchell as all 8 picked and ran A-ball strongly. The defense was also organized and there was some good tackling stopping New Paltz in their tracks. Ayla Romm and Hazel Curran were prominent in that first 25 minutes with Dea Edwards scoring to give Vassar a 5-0 lead. 

In the backs the team was led very well by Chloe Ellis at number 10 and her passing was spot on which benefited the centers, rookies Alex Harris and Lila Gallivan. In fact both these two scored tries as they cut through the New Paltz defense. Another critical player who brought a wealth of experience to the lineup was Lydia Hong who filled in at fullback making a number of try saving tackles.

Team: 15 Lydia Hong 14 Logan Snyder 13 Alex Harris 12 Lila Gallivan 11 Dora Chen 10 Chloe Ellis 9 Ava Rowland 1 O Arteaga-Johnson 2 Sydney Oren 3 Dea Edwards 4 Emi Mitchell 5 Arden Marburg 6 Meg Carpenter 7 Ayla Romm 8 Hazel Curran. Subs: Oli Pape for Arden Marburg.

Vassar College Women B 5 v 5 Marist University B 
Tries: Ava Rowland (1).

In this matchup rookies once again shone and the open field tackling by players kept Vassar in the match against an athletic and determined Marist University B-side. Bailey Richards and Tess Gemmell showed real courage and some good technique in contact as more experienced players like Gabby Gitau and Ava Rowland led the charge. After Vassar had fallen behind by a score it was the scrumhalf Rowland who was opportunistic and pounced on the ball in the in-goal to tie the match up. 

The players had finally gotten to put into practice what they have been working on for weeks.

Team: 15 Lydia Hong 14 Logan Snyder 13 Alex Harris 12 Lila Gallivan 11 Dora Chen 10 Chloe Ellis 9 Ava Rowland 1 Gabby  Gitau 2 Bailey Richards 3 Dea Edwards 4 Oli Pape 5 Emerson Singer 6 Meg Carpenter 7 Tess Gemmell 8 Hazel Curran.