Women's rugby captures first playoff game

Author: Molly West

The Middlebury women's rugby team won its first playoff game 7-5 Saturday in a tense, grueling match against the University of Rhode Island Rams. In anticipation of the game, captain Rachel Korschun '09 correctly stated: "This is going to be a tough game and we will [need to] step up the level of play we've been facing throughout the season." Indeed, the game did prove the most competitive contest thus far this season.

Middlebury entered the game Saturday with full force and heads held high. Coming off of a win against Keene State, Brittany McAdams '09 commented that, although "we had to sit some strong starting players last Saturday - Emma Lennon '11, and Evan Pagano '12 - we still ended up winning 109-0, which really shows the depth of our team." Korschun added that the team has "a lot of flexibility which was shown through the efforts of Justine Jackson '10, and Kristina Brown '10, who played a different position than she normally plays in the Keene match." When asked what she was anticipating for Saturday's game, McAdams responded, "While we're expecting a tough match this Saturday, we are also very confident in our team's ability to come out on top. Not only are we entering playoffs undefeated, but we've also shut out every team we've played so far."

Saturday's game, however, was a nail-biter. The fans watched with excitement and nervousness as the two powerhouses took the field. The action of the game emerged right from the get-go. Middlebury gained the upper hand when Emily Coles '09 scored for the Panthers and gave them the early advantage. Amelia Magistrali '09 made the conversion shortly after, adding another two points to Middlebury's score.

However, Rhode Island's strong attack soon translated into points for them as well, as the team scored to tighten the score to 7-5. The climax of the game occurred when the Rams' kicker lost her opportunity to tie the game up by missing the conversion, resulting in Middlebury's victory.

The team now looks forward to next weekend's semifinals game that most likely will be played on the road against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. When asked what the team is focusing on in this crucial point in the season, McAdams responded, "Our main focus is keeping our defensive-line strong and playing a smart game for the full 80 minutes. We also want to make sure we have a fluid connection between our forward pack and back line in order to allow us to use all of our strengths."

Heading into the playoffs this past weekend, Middlebury was ranked number one in its division by the New England Rugby Foundation. Because rugby is not yet a varsity sport at the intercollegiate level, the club level consists of the top rugby players in the nation.

The team's success thus far is quite an accomplishment, and the Panther faithful wait in suspense for the results of this weekend's semifinal matchup.