Women drop final to Bryant, 24-0

Author: Brian Swenson

The women's rugby team's season came to a close this past Saturday with a loss to a strong Bryant University team in the New England Championship game. The Panthers lost 24-0 to the Bulldogs, who scored four tries and two conversions. Bryant scored three of its tries in the first half, and while a less-determined Panther team may have given up, Middlebury stepped up its defense in the second half and held the Bulldogs scoreless until a try very late in the game. Louisa Sethi '10 observed how important it was that the "entire team stayed positive, not only in this game but all season."

Sethi also said that the Panthers "got beat in rucks" and described the Bulldogs' rucking as "strong and intense." This is not to say the Panthers were overmatched from the start, considering the fact that Brittany McAdams '09 believed "our team really had the potential to go all the way this year." McAdams also commented on how the Panthers "did not execute the game that they knew how to play."

This defeat concludes a truly historic season for Middlebury women's rugby. This was the Panthers' first trip to the New England championship game, a monumental achievement for the team. Middlebury had an undefeated regular season, and more incredibly, did not allow a single point in all of its games within the division, a true testament to the tenacity of the team's defense.

Although the season did not end in the way the team had hoped, the level of both mental and physical toughness exhibited by the team this year is something anyone would be proud of. Many players look at this season as an overall successful one. "Our team should be incredibly proud of what we have accomplished in this amazing season," commented McAdams. "This season has been an eye opener in showing us our strengths and weaknesses," said Sethi. This sort of reflective mindset should allow the team to build upon what it achieved this season.

The Panthers seem quite optimistic about their future, a show of how positive this team really is. This spring the team will play in assorted tournaments and will even be taking a trip to Ireland over February break for a series of games, truly new ground for this organization. This trip should be huge for the Panthers, as it will give them the chance to play against different teams and different strategies.

Despite the impending loss of many key players to graduation, the team should still have a very solid core of experienced players. It is this sort of team that allowed them to succeed this season even when important players fell to injury. "I am very excited and I think we have a really strong group going into next season," said Sethi. Prospects clearly look bright for the Middlebury women's ruggers.