Rugby obliterates Vassar

Author: Eri Nosaka

"Super-seniors" Jeff King and Colby Hewitt could not have asked for a better farewell to their beloved Middlebury field. After a newly-won New England Championship, the men's team trounced Vassar College by a score of 60-5 in the Quarterfinals of the Northeast Territorial tournament. The team was finally blessed with beautiful weather which brought a large turnout of friends, family and faculty.

Vassar, despite having a rugby program that has been around for 30 years, seemed confused and inexperienced when they initially encountered Middlebury's fierceness and zeal.

"We came out hard and put Vassar back on their heels early in the game. Vassar had a hard time getting anything going. They tried to run a lot of 'crash-ball' but our defense held up well and caused a lot of turnovers," said Matt Volz '07.

Within the first 15 minutes of the game, Middlebury scored two tries, catching Vassar completely off-guard. Although Middlebury has in the past been able to keep most of its teams from scoring, on Saturday Vassar's Dan Zabar '06 got on the board in the second half.

Vassar seemed to struggle in all areas, but particularly at times when Middlebury was in possession of the ball. Vassar's Andre Abshere '07 and Matt Tracey '07 faced numerous defensive responsibilities during the game, constantly under pressue from the relentless Panthers.

Although Middlebury was missing some crucial starters, Caleb Consenstein '06, Clark Smith '06, Jeff Harasimowicz '07 and numerous other players stepped up and delivered a beating in their 60-5 victory over the Brewers. In particular, Chas Wirene '07 and Max Levine '09 made "smart decisions with close to no mistakes" throughout the game, said Volz. In addition, Tommy Heitkamp '06, Volz, Spencer Cox '08, Pascal Losambe '07, and King all scored tries while Craig Wilson '07.5 had a stellar performance and converted five of nine kicks. This Saturday, Middlebury will play University of Rhode Island (URI) in the semifinals. URI presently has an overall record of 8-1 and just came out of a win against Seton Hall University, edging out a close contest 38-24.

"They are a very good team. They have size and speed and they will definitely give us a good game, but we're confident in our game and we fully expect to win," said Volz.

The men's team will be favorites to move on to the final, which will take place on Sunday. Judging solely on talent, heart and its record so far, this team deserves to win the Northeast Territorial championship. So if all goes well, Middlebury will get its fairy tale ending to another season of excellence.