Peaks and Valleys for Rugby Squads

Author: Peter Yordan

The men's and women's rugby teams braved marginal conditions this weekend to play a pair matches of against lightly regarded opponents. While the men pounded on their unfortunate opponents 63-0, the women suffered a frustrating set-back.

The men's team, riding a strong victory over Williams the week before, traveled down to Massachusetts to take on Holy Cross. The two teams had never faced each other before, so the Panthers had little idea of the quality of the opposition they would be facing. In the face of inclement weather, the team left nothing to chance, blasting off the blocks in an effort to establish their game from the start. "It was crappy weather, but despite that we held it together pretty well," said Dave Wisner '04.

The Panthers turned the muddy field to their advantage, running rampant over Holy Cross. "This was our first complete performance," said Wisner. "We really played really well physically. We definitely controlled the tempo and we beat them up pretty good." When the dust settled the scoreline read 63-0. Co-captain Ngetha Waithaka '04, Doug Haber '04, and first-year substitute Muchadei Zvoma scored two tries each. Junior Rob Hiensch's high-flying performance earned him one try and set up several others in the feel-good victory.

"We're starting to peak, but we're still not completely together," said Wisner in the wake of the team's pointfest. The team will need to build off of their victory with a big match-up against in-state rival St. Michael's on Saturday. "They were our toughest game last year in our division," said Wisner. "They always have a strong, well-coached team." The veteran Middlebury squad will be looking continue their streak of two undefeated fall seasons. "We're all a pretty relaxed bunch of guys," said Wisner. "We don't put a lot of pressure on ourselves, but we still hold ourselves to a high standard.

While the men's squad headed south, the women stayed in state to play Green Mountain College. In a rough match, the Panthers fell 17-10.

Middlebury came into the game hoping to grab a victory over a team that rarely presents the Panthers with problems. Once again, the weather turned the field into oatmeal, making it tough for both teams to play a good quality of rugby.

The Middlebury women struggled to hold their ground, sacrificing two quick tries in front of a vocal enemy crowd on Green Mountain's Parent's Weekend. "It was a really sloppy game because of the weather. We let them set the pace of the game, and they scored twice really quickly," said Kate Nerenberg '05. The Panthers' youth and inexperience hurt them as they tried to rally from behind against a determined opponent. "We have a line-up with a lot of new people, and we haven't played together for a long time," said Nerenberg. "We could have been more motivated. We didn't come out ready to play."

The Panthers will need to rally quickly for their first home game of the season on Saturday. The team will take on Keene State on Parents Weekend, the first of three straight home games. "We really want to capitalize on our big field at home, having our parents here," said Nerenberg. "For us, playoffs are definately still a possibility." However, this possibility will be placed on the line when Middlebury next take to the field.