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Final Score, 29 – 3, Win

A beautiful day for rugby. Middlebury up 7 – 0 at the half with a try coming off a great run from wing Heather “BIG HEAT” Tourgee (’17) and conversion from Emily “Ann” Duh (’14).

The second half was much stronger as we stepped up our level of play, getting to the rucks quicker and playing harder on both offense and defense. A great run by prop Sarah “Sick” Sicular (’16) got us within 5 meters of our try line. 8-man Marissa Shaw (’14) called for a quick punch to the weak side to score our second try of the game.

The next try came from outside center Lissa “De Rúgbi” Ortega (’17) after a beautiful quick ball out from the back line. Another series of strong offensive brought us close to our try line, where Emily Duh (’14) got a pass off the ruck and ran it in to score in the center of the try zone. Sometime in the 2^nd half Williams earned a penalty and completed an impressive kick to earn 3 points.

Our last try of the game was from wing Caitlin “Wheels” Towers (’16), who was playing in her first game ever! It was another great quick ball out that created an overlap that allowed Caitlin to run by their defensive line.

It was a great game of rugby, with players stepping up to play new positions and work hard through the whole game. Thank you to Marissa’s parents for snacks after the game!!

First Half
Heather Tourgee – 5  (first try!!) (Emily Duh – 2)

Second Half
Marissa Shaw – 5 (Emily Duh – 2)
Lissa Ortega – 5 (first try!!)
Emily Duh – 5
Williams – 3
Caitlin Towers – 5  (first try!!)

Final Score 5 – 25, Loss

We played a good game with strong runs and hits coming from many players.  Bowdoin scored 2 tries in the first half, followed by a strong serious of Middlebury attack to gain us a try by 8-man Marissa “Sailor” Shaw (’14).

During the second half, an unfortunate injury to our talented fly half Sarah “Sarsh” Kravitz (’16) and an inability to cover the outside allowed Bowdoin 3 more tries. We had a few series of strong offensive that got us to the try zone, but unfortunately had 2 tries “held up”.

Despite the loss, we fought hard and played well. Excellent runs and defense by inside center Emily “Titanic” Duh, 8-man Marissa Shaw, prop Katie “Old Man” Linder (’15) and outside center Stevie “Drevie” Durocher (’15.5). Special shout out to Kyra “Trampoline” Grey (’17) and Brenda “bad-ass” Li (’17) on playing in their first rugby game ever!

First Half
Bowdoin — 5
Bowdoin — 5
Marissa Shaw — 5

Second Half
Bowdoin — 5
Bowdoin — 5
Bowdoin — 5

Final Score 79 – 5, win

As always, it was a beautiful day for rugby as we headed to St. Mike’s for our first full game of the season. The game was split into four 20-minute quarters to allow time for extra coaching and regrouping on both sides.

Excellent runs from centers Emily “LQB” Duh (’14) and Stevie “Drevie” Durocher (’15.5), along with lightening quick balls from both backs and forwards helped us gain many points throughout the game. We also had great scrums, winning both offensively and defensively, so special shout out to front row Katie “Old Man” Linder (’15), Canary “I love rugby” Ly (’17), and Lissa “Aca-awkward” Ortega (’17).

Great job to Heather “German Parliament” Tourgee, Tiff “ My Leg Bruises are Exploding in Colors” Chang, Brenna “Gondola” Chirstensen, Canary Ly, and Lissa Ortega in their first rugby game ever! And congrats to fly half Sarah “Lenny” Kravitz (’16), prop Katie Linder (’15), and flanker/fullback Tiff Chang (’17), on their first tries!

Overall, it was an amazing start to the season and we are excited for our first regular season game against Bowdoin next weekend.

Sarah Minahan – 5
Stevie Durocher – 5, Emily Duh – 2
Marissa Shaw – 5, Emily Duh – 2
Sarah Kravitz – 5, Emily Duh – 2
Stevie Durocher – 5
Emily Duh – 5, Emily Duh – 2
Sarah Minahan – 5, Emily Duh – 2
Katie Linder – 5
Tiffany Chang – 5, Emily Duh – 2
Emily Duh – 5, Emily Duh – 2
Stevie Durocher – 5, Emily Duh – 2

Final Score 10 – 15, Loss

We traveled to Bowdoin this weekend to compete in the NESCAC championship game. We were looking forward to a rematch against Bowdoin after our regular season loss early in October. Both teams came out hard and the game was scoreless for nearly the entire first half, until a series of punches brought Bowdoin their first try at 38 minutes.

We went into the second half ready to continue playing hard and hoping to put some points on the board. Excellent tackling from fly half Julia “World’s Best Cheddar” Gulka (’13) and outside center Stevie “Still a Diva” Durocher (‘15.5) along with strong defense all around held Bowdoin off most of the next 40 minutes, although they did find the space to the outside two more times to make the score 15 – 0 with 13 minutes remaining.

Determined to keep fighting to the final whistle, we continued with strong defense and offensive playing. Strong counter rucking from 8-man Katy “I speak so many languages” Svec (’15) and hard runs from inside center Laura “Turtleneck” Hoffman (’15) allowed the ball to get out down the back line to lock Ali “Oprah” Hentges (’15) who offloaded it up to fullback Julianna “Stale Bread” Gardner (’13). Julianna sprinted the ball across the try line to gain us our first 5 points.

A similar series of aggressive offensive play opened up the space for a sprint down the side line from wing Mel “Tufts’ favorite” Haas (’13). Mel was tackled just before the try line and Julianna was there in support once again to finish the run and score. Unfortunately there was only about a minute remaining at this point, so we finished the game down 10 – 15.

Amazing game from everyone, specifically incredible both offensive and defensive play from Julia Gulka and Julianna Gardner. Thanks to all our fans, and to Bowdoin for hosting us for food and socialing after the game!

First Half
Bowdoin – 5

Second Half
Bowdoin – 5
Bowdoin – 5
Julianna Gardner – 5
Julianna Gardner – 5

Final Score 59 – 5, Win

After a lovely evening spent in Cape Elizabeth with Emily Duh’s family, we ventured to Bates for the last game of the regular season. Although playing on turf initially seemed a daunting task, we adapted well to the different type of field than we were used to.

We kicked off to Bates to begin the game, where we immediately dominated play and possession. A Bates’ knock on led to a Middlebury scrum, which prompted a beautiful switch from eight man Sarah “Fraulein Fander” Pfander (’13) to fly half Julia “Extra Sharp” Gulka (’13) for the try. Scrum half Jess “Who let the dog out?” Berry (’13) converted the kick.

Shortly after the Bates kick off, wing Mel “Sandy” Haas (’13) sprinted 60 meters down the touchline to place the misshapen ball in the corner of the try zone. Quick powerful rucking along with skilled ball handling brought the ball within 5 meters of our try zone again. A Bates’ knock on led to another scrum for us. Jess Berry ran to the weak side and offloaded to Sarah Pfander who ran it straight into the try zone.

Up 17-0, some complacent errors led to a brief spell of Bates’ possession, allowing their fly half to run sideways and through our defensive line for a try. This brief pause in which Bates attempted the conversion kick gave us an opportunity to regroup and retain composure. Coming out hard, the backs and forwards worked together to execute a series of creative and effective plays to bring the ball closer to the try line. In a save of NBA caliber, lock Ali “90 Degrees” Hentges (’15) prevented the ball from going out by batting it through her legs, an incredible play that set the stage for our next try, driven through by fullback Julianna “Meet Me at the Watering Hole” Gardner (’13). Another instance of supportive interplay between forwards and backs allowed outside center Stevie “Diva” Durocher (’15.5) to offload the ball to oncoming lock Hannah “Hanukah” Elkin, who stiff-armed and powerfully drove across the try line to finish the half on a strong note.

From the beginning of the second half, we remained on Bates’ defensive half with intensity and focus. Jess Berry collected the ball off our scrum about 10 meters from the try zone, fought through an attempted tackle from the opposing scrum half, faked the switch to Julia Gulka, and passed the ball to inside center Laura “High Tackled” Hoffman (’15), who sprinted through the Bates defensive line to score another try for the Blue.

After yet another series of beautiful quick passes from the back line, Ali Hentges collected the ball and practically strolled through the Bates defensive line for 30 meters, before nonchalantly touching down the ball across the try line. Jess Berry successfully converted the kick to put an extra two on the scoreboard.

After an extensive delay for an injured Bates player, we carried on business as usual. Julianna Gardner broke through a succession of attempted tackles to drive 40 meters into the try zone. Soon after, Sarah “Mini Quiche” Minahan (’14) did a crafty pick-and-go off a breakdown near the try line to place the ball into the zone on the far right. Only a few plays later, Julia Gulka drove the ball over the line after the formation of a ruck, also on the far right side. To mimic her big sister, Sarah Minahan scored the final try of the game in a similar fashion, picking the ball off a scrum to touch the ball down on the far right side of the try zone.

A special shout out to Alex “I Do Work” McKeon (’13) who came back out at wing for her first game back after months out from an ankle injury, and had many great runs and ball handling with the back line. Stevie Durocher also had an amazing game at outside center, running through the Bates’ defensive line and lending support in the rucks on countless occasions.

A huge thanks to all of the friends and family who came out to support us: the Svec’s with their famous brownies and orange slices, the Attwood’s, Mr. Hoffman, and to Jackie, Russ, Maggie, Ben and Emily for feeding and hosting the entire team!

First Half

Julia Gulka (Berry – 2)

Mel Haas – 5

Sarah Pfander – 5

Bates – 5

Julianna Gardner – 5

Hannah Elkin – 5

Second half

Laura Hoffman – 5

Ali Hentges (Berry – 2)

Julianna Gardner – 5

Sarah Minahan – 5

Julia Gulka – 5

Sarah Minahan – 5

Final Score 0 – 26, Loss

We returned to the Rutland field again this week, as our home field is still flooded. We came out very strong in the first half, playing the game entirely on Bowdoin’s defensive half and coming close to scoring many times. Continued attacks finally allowed inside center Laura Hofmann (’15) to break through the Bowdoin defensive line and dive into the try zone. Unfortunately the try was declared “held up” and therefore did not count.

The end of the second half Bowdoin found their stride and began to move the ball closer to their try line. A quick penalty to their forwards allowed them their first try of the game, which was not converted. Another series of punches from their forwards gained them one more converted try before the end of the first half.

Due to three unfortunate injuries in the first half, we were forced to do some rearranging as we headed out into the second half. Marissa Shaw (’14) moved from flanker to inside center where her powerful runs and sure tackles provided stability and experience in the back line. Unfortunately, skillful kicking from Bowdoin’s fly half and strong runs from their inside center led to two more converted tries.

We finally regrouped for the last thirty minutes or so of the second half, playing almost the entire rest of the game within our offensive 22-meter mark. However, despite persistent attacks from both forwards and backs, we were not able to break through Bowdoin’s strong defense.

Although the loss was disappointing, we were proud of our ability to give Bowdoin a worthy opponent after our difficult loss to them last season. We hope to meet them again in playoffs and look forward to another well fought game against them. Thank you to our fans as always, to parents who provided snacks, and to Bowdoin for letting us use their trainer.

We also played Bowdoin’s B-side in a 20-minute game of 11s, which we won 25 – 5 with tries coming from Jess Berry (2), Julianna Gardner (2), and Sarah Minahan.

First Half
Bowdoin – 5
Bowdoin – 7

Second Half
Bowdoin – 7
Bowdoin – 7

Final Score 33 – 0, win

Having been uprooted from our home turf, we made our way to the drier Rutland field for a 1:00 kick off. After a frustrating loss to Tufts last year, we were determined to come out hard against them this season.  And with the support of our fans, parents, and injured players, along with our dedication to playing our hardest, we were able to meet this goal.

We started off the game with a kick off to Tufts. From the beginning, we came up hard and in a defensive line, not allowing the Tufts’ offense to progress forward. Although neither team scored for the first 20 minutes or so, both teams fought hard, with the majority of play in the Tufts’ defensive half. After a series of strong attacks got us close to the try line, scrum half Jess Berry (’13) took the ball off a ruck, faked a switch, and dove into the try zone.

We had another opportunity to score from a series of quick passes from both forwards and backs, in which flanker Katy Svec (’15) had a great run followed by a nice pass out to Stevie “the wonder” Durocher (’15.5). Stevie found the space and ran hard—almost scoring a try if it had not been for the questionable blow of a whistle, just before she touched it down. We continued to play the rest of the half close to our try line, but were held off from scoring by the Tufts’ defense.

We went out into the second half reorganized and ready to run from depth and make more controlled attacks. Our next try came from wing Mel Haas (’13). Although we had knocked the ball out, we were able to regain possession in the lineout, and got the ball all the way out to the wing. Mel ran around their defense and into the try zone, then made a final sprint to place the ball under the uprights. Jess Berry made the kick.

At one point during the half, Tufts’ inside center managed to break through our defensive line. Luckily, full back Julianna Gardner (’13) was there to make a great tackle just before the try line and prevent her from scoring.

We continued to dominate play, maintaining possession and playing in the Tufts’ defensive half. A punch by hooker Rae Colombo (’13) got the ball almost into the try zone. Lock Ali Hentges (’15) was there in support to pick the ball up and dive into the try zone, scoring her first try ever!! Jess Berry made the kick.

Another quick ball out from the backs got the ball into the hands of Julianna Gardner, who went speeding down the sideline and into the try zone for our 4^th try of the game. Although the ball was placed far to the outside, Jess Berry made the kick!

In the last few minutes of the game, Tufts was awarded a line out close to their defensive try zone. They decided to go for a drive, but lock Hannah Elkin (’13) managed to strip the ball and get it back to flanker Sarah “Mini” Minahan (’14). Mini then passed the ball to Rae Colombo, who got it to outside center Emily Duh (’14). Duh ran the ball straight under the uprights and into the try zone for our 5^th and final try of the game. Jess Berry made the kick.

Other memorable plays: fake out and skip pass by fly half Julia Gulka (’13), incredible rucking by prop Katie Linder (’15), and solid runs from prop Kim Banford (’15) and lock Marissa Shaw (’14).

We then enjoyed pizza and snacks with the Tufts team after the game. Thank you so much to the parents who helped provide food and who came to support us despite the rain!

First half
Jess Berry – 5
 
Second half
Melanie Haas – 5 (Berry – 2)

Ali Hentges– 5 
(Berry – 2)

Julianna Gardner – 5 (Berry – 2)

Emily Duh – 5
 (Berry – 2)


Final Score 36 – 0, Win

We were all excited for the first home game of the season! Due to rain in the past few days, our field was very soggy and the ability to use it was uncertain. Luckily KO was able to work her magic and we secured the rugby pitch for the original game time of 1:00.

Our team goal for this game was to come out hard and play all 80 minutes giving 100%. We’re proud to say we met this goal right from the get-go. We came out with intensity, especially on the rucks, with great hits and dedication from 8-man Sarah Pfander (’13). This consistent attack led to our first try of the game in minute 2, from outside center Emily Duh (’14) who wove through multiple Amherst players to put the ball right under the uprights. Scrum half Jess Berry (’13) made the kick.

We continued to play the game on Amherst’s half of the field. Consistent defensive rucking, tackling, and coming up in a defensive line allowed inside center Laura Hofmann (’15) to gain possession and fight through three or four tackles to score her FIRST TRY EVER! Jess Berry converted the kick for another two points!

Another great quick ball out from the back line allowed fullback Julianna Gardner (’13) to gallop like a gazelle down the sideline and score the third try of the match in the far right corner of the try zone.

A great breakaway from the Amherst wing took the ball down the field closer to our try zone, where we played for the remaining few minutes of the half. Our intensity on defense, some lucky knock-ons and penalties, and a great hold up by lock Ali Hentges (’15) prevented them from securing the try.

We went out into the second half motivated to keep playing with heart and determination. Amherst came out with intensity as well, and it took 10 minutes or so to score our next try. A series of quick passes out and well fought scrums allowed the ball to get out to flanker Marissa Shaw (’14) who powered through a pile of Amherst players to place the ball just across the try line.

Another series of controlled ball handling from backs and forwards opened up the space for another great run from Emily Duh, leading to our 5^th try.

The Amherst pack managed to muscle their way forward, making considerable ground in our defensive half, but luckily we were able to regain possession off a counter ruck. Marissa Shaw called a punch and proceeded to pass the ball out to fellow flanker Sarah Minahan (‘14), who ran her way through the Amherst defense to gain 50 yards before being taken down.

With 15 seconds remaining, we set up for a defensive scrum, which was to be the last play of the game. A beautiful poach off the scrum from Jess Berry allowed us to gain possession. As we scrambled to make something out of the remaining seconds, a quick ball out off the ruck landed in the sure and experienced hands of Emily Duh, who proceeded to out run their entire back line and place the ball under the uprights for her 3^rd try of the game. Can you say hat trick?? Jess Berry then converted her third kick of the game.

In order to allow Amherst’s second squad to get some practice, we played a 20 minutes B side game (although not having our own B side, we all just got to play 100 minutes of rugby! Wooo!). It was a learning experience for Amherst, and a great opportunity for prop Katy Svec (’15), Julianna Gardner, and Sarah Pfander to score tries!

A huge thank you to our fans who came out despite the weather, and to Svec’s parents for the oranges and brownies! Tune in next week for our home game versus Tufts.

First half
Emily Duh – 5
Jess Berry – 2
Laura Hoffman – 5
Jess Berry – 2
Julianna Gardner – 5
 
Second half
Marissa Shaw – 5
Emily Duh – 5
Emily Duh – 5
Jess Berry – 2