Vassar Women’s Rugby Drops 17-0 Decision to Cornell

from Vassar College Athletics:

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 28, 2010) — Without the contributions of two seniors, who had to leave the game in the first half due to injury, the Vassar College women’s rugby team dropped a tough 17-0 match to New York State Conference runner-up Cornell University on Sunday at the Farm.

The sky was grey but the rain held off as Vassar took on the New York State Conference runner-up at the Farm this afternoon. A gloomy atmosphere prevailed for the home team as they fell by 3 tries to Cornell University. It was made a good deal worse because in the first minute of the game the Brewers lost senior and starting outside center Morandi Hurst as she caught a knee to the cheek bone. She was visible upset and rightly so, as she’d lost her fall season to a fracture in exactly the same place! Later in the half co-captain Nathalie duRivage hurt her rib and also had to depart. It has been a really rough season for the women’s rugby team.

Vassar College Women 0 v Cornell University Women 17

This win for Cornell was the first time the Ivy League school has beaten Vassar in about 6 years. They had a slight size advantage but all through the first half Vassar dominated the game and won ruck after ruck to maintain possession. But the Cornell defense swarmed once the ball was won and there was no room for the backs to operate. One felt that there was a good deal of leniency with the offside law or the Ivy Leaguers must have a number of Olympic standard sprinters!

Vassar drove lineouts and won rucks at will particularly in that first 40 minutes but somehow Cornell survived as penalties came at opportune times. It was very, very frustrating for the Vassar team.

In the backs Willa Conway battled getting over the gain line regularly and Emma Back had a good day breaking tackles but in the end the attacks broke down and Cornell was able to kick away the danger.

In the second half it seemed that the first team to score would get the win and it was Cornell. They added 2 further tries as Vassar conceded the highest penalty count in a single game during the last decade of games. Players toiled long and hard and were continually frustrated by the referee’s quick whistle. Amanda Waterhouse tackled well and was the dominant lineout person and it was just amazing to see a team win so much clean ball and then essentially be running backwards having been penalized consistently at rucks.

The Brewers have a week to regroup and get ready for a tough game against the College of New Jersey next Saturday but they will be without the services of the unlucky Morandi Hurst and Nathalie duRivage.

Team: 15 Emma Backe 14 Laura Howard 13 Morandi Hurst 12 Willa Conway 11 Kate Hancock 10 Hannah Bober 9 Julia Nissen 1 Krissa Wiechmann 2 Alyssa Bell 3 Nathalie duRivage 4 Ami Major 5 Kim Beaudoin 6 Lucy Cantwell 7 Amanda Waterhouse 8 Mariko Yoshimura-Rank. Subs: Julia Rossi for Morandi Hurst, Patty Walton for Nathalie duRivage, Sarah Fuentes for Laura Howard, Caitlin Bull for Emma Backe.

Overall Record 2009-10: 5-7-1.

Next: Saturday April 3, 2010 versus The College of New Jersey 11:30 am.

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