There’s No Place Like Home: MCWRC vs. Dartmouth (3-15 L)

One Last Huddle

It was a bittersweet day on the pitch yesterday as the Panthers faced off against Dartmouth’s B-side for their final match of the season, and the final match ever for six senior players. Despite the wind and the rain, it was a beautiful day for rugby, and lots of fans came out to show their support.

To accommodate Dartmouth’s limited numbers, the game was split into three twenty-minute periods rather than the usual 40-minute halves. Dartmouth scored early in the first period, but was unable to convert due to the heavy winds in Midd’s favor. The Panthers pushed back hard, but were unable to make it into their try zone. A penalty kick for points from Ellen “Wait What” Colton ’19 would be Middlebury’s only chance to score.

Despite putting up a tough offense, Dartmouth was not immune to the pressure of Middlebury’s defense. The game was very physical and the Panthers never gave up in trying to keep the ball away from their opponents. In the end, Dartmouth would score twice more, for a final score of 3-15.

The mood was far from despair, however, as both seniors and underclassmen were excited to end their season on a competitive note. Seniors Brenna “Am I Mini Yet?” Christensen ’17, Camille “Chamillionaire” Kellogg ’17 and Canary “Still A Cradle Robber” Ly ’17 all had amazing last games. Although they are sad to be going, the seniors are confident that next year’s squad will be up to the many challenges the team will face going forward. Many Middlebury players broke the sport’s main rule: There’s No Crying in Rugby. If you looked close enough, even stalwart curmudgeon/ fullback extraordinaire Brenda “Bridget” Li ’17 could be seen shedding a tear.

After the match, Dartmouth players awarded Midd Captain and 8-(wo)man Franny “Francesca” Suarez ’17 with “Player of the Match.” Midd in turn bestowed the same honor on Dartmouth’s 8-(wo)man. Both players had tremendous games, showing off their technical prowess and leadership. Flanker Emilie “Miscellaneous Bird Sounds” Seavey ’18 was bestowed with Midd’s own version of Player of the Match, Mr. Tackle.

If the awards were up to me, though, I would have chosen team dogs Moxie Pearl “Maxi Pad” Onufry and Kels “I’m going to ride him like a horse” Onufry for Players of the Match, whose dedication to shedding on people and running straight into line-outs are both adorable and a force to be reckoned with.

Thank you to Dartmouth for traveling and for playing through the rain and wind, and to our fans who came out to support us. The senior class would like to thank coaches KO Onufry and Kevin O’Brien for all they have done for us over the past four years.

Class of 2018, all we can say is this: Good Luck!

Polar Bear 7s: You Win Some, You Lose Some (2-2)

What do the US Army, some polar bears, and sea gulls have in common? They all faced off against the panthers this weekend at Bowdoin College’s “Polar Bear Sevens” tournament in Brunswick, Maine. Middlebury celebrated Earth Day in style, led by flower child/ coach extraordinaire KO Onufry, who asked the ladies to summon the power of Mother Earth for this occasion.

Due to a miscommunication, the panthers had not one, but two horses in the race, as they discovered upon their arrival that both an A side and a B side had been entered into pool play. With a traveling side of 13 players, this prospect yielded only a few soft screams from panicking players and coaches alike. With the great and generous help of a few BU players, though, Midd was able to rearrange their roster and field two highly successful sides.

Midd B started things off for the panthers with a match against Endicott B. Tries from Emma Nelson ’20 (converted) and Calla Rosenfeld ’19 kept the Gulls on their toes, but in the end it was a 12-31 loss.

Roughly five seconds later, Midd A took the pitch to face off against the University of New England, whom they beat handily with a 39-0 win.

It was Midd B’s turn again right after, this time against Bowdoin B. Though the panthers were able to give them a run for their money, Midd fell short, ceding five tries to the polar bears.

In the last game of Middlebury’s morning quadruple-header (or a 4×4, as west-coasters Franny Suarez and Ariana Hernandez would call it), the A side had their toughest matchup of the day against Norwich A. The panthers took it right to them, though they were unable to make it into their end zone. After a valiant fight, the panthers walked off with their heads held high.

The Magnificent Seven: Middlebury’s A-Side pulled off some truly spectacular victories this weekend

After lunch/nap break, Midd A was reenergized ahead of their most long-awaited match of the day against Bowdoin A. Bowdoin was clearly expecting an easy win, because after Ellen Colton ’19’s try in the first 10 seconds of play, they sent in an entire new front row and switched several of their backs, using all five substitutions. If polar bears had long tails, they would have been between their legs for the remaining 13 minutes and 50 seconds, because Middlebury never lost their lead thanks to some really spectacular running, drives, and, of course, the resulting tries. In an upset victory, the Panthers would win it 26-20.

With the A-side cheering from the sidelines, Midd B took on their final opponents of the day, Norwich B. Both sides fought hard, but Midd was unable to secure the W.

Not expecting to earn second place in their pool, the Panthers now faced off against their closest opponents of the day: West Point. The Panthers were unsure of where to go at first because the Army was nowhere to be seen, but once they took off their camo they were easily spotted by the Panthers, whose sharp eyesight is, according to most of the internet sites I consulted for this research, “excellent.”

Unsure of what a victory over the US Army Cadets would mean (would we conquer the military? Seize control of the government? Get the nuclear codes?), the panthers were ready for a fight. Despite the cheers of “WAR” from the West Point sidelines, Midd kept their eyes on the prize, scoring tries in both halves. In the end, the military industrial complex maintained its firm grip on American life, securing a 17-26 victory over the Panthers, which was probably for the best considering our very limited understanding of governmental procedure.

Scoreboard results aside, it truly was a great day for rugby! The panthers learned a lot from watching and playing, all ahead of the ACRA tournament next weekend in Kutztown, Pennsylvania! See below for full results:

The Middlebury Panthers braved the rain and the mud for a great weekend of rugby.

Middlebury A

v. UNE: 39-0 W

v. Norwich A: 0-41 L

v. Bowdoin A: 26-20 W

v. Army B: 17-26 L

Final: 2-2 for the day

Middlebury B

v. Endicott B: 12-31 L

v. Bowdoin B: 0-25 L

v. Norwich B: 12-36 L

Final: 0-3 for the day

Purple Valley 7’s Tournament: First Place Champs!

The Middlebury Panthers were very excited to return to Williams in the spring, this time for their season-opening sevens tournament! It was a beautiful day for rugby, with temps in the mid-60s, but the wind sent drop-kicks flying in all directions, much to the chagrin of our all-star kickers, Franny “HUMBLE.” Suarez ’17 and Ellen “I don’t need a break” Colton ’19.

Eager to prove their mettle, the Panthers took to the field in their first match against Springfield College, which was expected to be the toughest of the day. Tries from Middlebury in the first few minutes cemented their lead early on, though, and they were able to defeat them despite some great breakaway tries from Springfield, for a final score of 20-10.

Following a short break between our first and second matches, the Panthers soaked up some sun after a long Vermont winter, resulting in some truly terrific sunburns (see photo below).

They hit hard again for their double header in the afternoon, this time against Connecticut College for their second win of the day (32-0), and Williams for their third (29-5). Players were rotated through, and new combinations kept the Camels and the Ephs on their toes.

The Panthers secured their tournament victory with a decisive win over Wellesley College (46-0). A B-Side game against a combination of Williams and Conn players provided a great opportunity for some younger players to take initiative on the pitch, and three new players played in their first-ever rugby game!

A huge thank-you goes out to the Williams College Rugby Club for hosting and to all the teams for a beautiful day of rugby! Thanks also to our loyal fans, canine and human, who traveled to watch us play! This weekend was a huge start for our season as we continue to prepare for the ACRA-qualifying tournament at Bowdoin College next weekend!

Spring 2017 Schedule!

Hello hello!

We have been working hard practicing in advance of our 2017 Spring season. We hope you can make it out to see us play!

4/15: 7’s Tournament @ Williams

4/22: 7’s Tournament @ Bowdoin

5/6: Home vs. Dartmouth

Middlebury @ Williams: 96-5, W

 

It was a beautiful day for rugby this Saturday as we headed south down route 7 for our season opener. The panthers were eager to get playing, especially those seniors returning from abroad. Because of numbers, both teams agreed to play 10’s instead of the usual 15’s, with four 15-minute quarters. This gave both teams some much needed respite throughout the game.

 

The panthers came out strong, with scrum half Ellen “MY COW” Colton ’19 scoring within the first few minutes. The panthers would go on to score four more times in the first quarter, with a spectacular first try ever for Jess “Showtunes” Garner ’19.5. Special shoutout to Brenda “Bridget” Li ’17, who held the backs down at fullback/wing, and also scored during the first quarter.

 

Under the fearless leadership of coach KO Onufry, the panthers shook it up for the second quarter and tried some new positions. This allowed us to get more creative with our plays, most notably a switch between Melanie “Jane” Pascual ’19 and Hannah “It’s Just Blood” Phelps ’18 that resulted in a beautiful try from Phelps. A try from Williams during the second quarter left the score 41-5 at halftime.

 

For the second half of the game, the panthers focused on working cohesively, with members of the forwards and backs moving together. Tries were scored, blood was shed. The panthers moved well as a unit and were very successful in their lineouts.

 

Huge shout out to Calla “But I’m a Flanker?” Rosenfeld ’19 who played her first game for Middlebury in the back line and to all the players who tried new positions! High scorers were Ellen Colton ’19 (29 pts) and Heather Tourgee ‘17 (20pts). We hope to see all of our amazing fans next weekend (October 1) at home against Colby at 11am.

 

First Quarter:

Ellen Colton ‘19 (5)

Jessica Garner ’19.5 (5) (Colton-2)

Heather Tourgee ’17 (5)

Brenda Li ’17 (5) (Colton-2)

Melanie Jane Pascual ’19 (5)

 

Second Quarter:

Jess Masinter ’19 (5) (Phelps-2)

Williams (5)

Heather Tourgee (5)

 

 

Third Quarter:

Heather Tourgee (5)

Ellen Colton (5)

Brenda Li (5) (Colton-2)

Jess Masinter (5) (Colton-2)

Hannah Phelps (5) (Colton-2)

 

Fourth Quarter:

Heather Tourgee (5)

Audrey Pan ’19 (5) (Colton-2)

Ellen Colton (5)

Julia Struzyna ‘19.5 (5) (Colton -2)