Rugby guards its N.E. title, taming Coast Guard

Author: Simon Keyes

Coming off the heels of his 10th consecutive undefeated regular season, men's rugby coach Ward Patterson was not finished with his winning ways. Consecutive victories, the first a 9-0 slugfest over the University of Vermont (UVM) on Oct. 27, and the second, a 25-21 thriller over the second ranked United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) on Oct. 28, helped Patterson and his team clinch their third straight New England Championship - their sixth in seven years.

On Homecoming Saturday, a deluge nearly washed away the alumni and the field and made for a hard-nosed fight with UVM.

The scouting report on the Catamounts warned of a team with great strength in the pack and big backs, that was, however, susceptible to teams fleet of foot.

"We thought we'd take advantage of them by kicking, chasing and utilizing our speed," said Max Levine '09.

The game was won with the foot, not on foot. Ari Silverman drove three penalty kicks through driving rain that gave the Panthers the lead and win at 9-0.

"It was a disgusting rainy day that led to lots of rucks and crash-ball," said Levine. "But we played our best game of the season in the rain. Then subsequently we played our best game of the year again on the next day."

Everyone associated with Middlebury rugby could foresee an absolute battle of attrition with USCGA.

"They're always brilliant," said Levine. "They're always strong, fit, fast, technically sound and well-coached."

Ed Cahill '09 helped the Panthers strike first as he completed a well executed play to the wing by diving into the try zone. Back-and-forth play ensued with each team responding to the other's scores until the game came down to a key play late in the game.

With four minutes remaining and the Panthers down 21-18, Silverman and Levine combined to put Middlebury ahead for good. It started with a Levine forward kick that clanged off the goal post instead of bouncing into the try zone. The ball was scooped up by a Coast Guard fullback, who in the midst of attempting to boot the ball away from the try zone, was mauled by Silverman. The ball hit the turf, was scooped up by a chasing Levine who rumbled into the try zone, putting the Panthers up 23-18. The conversion was completed and the Panthers held on for the 25-21 win.

Patterson was especially pleased with his team's mental toughness.

"During the week we focused on team defense, minimizing our mistakes and not dropping the ball. It worked," said Patterson. "That leap in focus put them team together as a unit to play the best rugby all year."