Facing extremely hot temperatures which made for difficult playing conditions, the Dartmouth Women's Rugby Club battled with Middlebury this past Saturday. The Big Green played an outstanding game and made the Panthers suffer from more than the heat in a 29-5 drubbing.
The A side game marked the return of center Kristen Belano '02, who made some great runs to help out the Dartmouth offense.
Dartmouth scored first when flyhalf Abby Berniker '03 took advantage of a missed pass in the Middlebury backline. Berniker then converted her own try to give Dartmouth a 7-0 lead.
Later, a tough run by eight-man Karin Ljungquist '02 led to a score by wing Elisse Gaynor '03 to extend the lead to 12. After some back and forth play in which Dartmouth kept most of the advantage, a couple quick passes led to a try by outside center Joyce Fu '03.
Berniker converted the kick from the middle of the field to put the Panthers in a 19-0 hole.
Just before the close of the first half, a smart kick to open space by Berniker led to a chase by inside center Bridget Waitkus '02. This play helped Gaynor score another try to extend the Big Green lead to 24.
A Middlebury wing scored her team's lone try in the left corner off of a Dartmouth penalty to cut the deficit by five as the half came to a close.
The Panthers stepped it up a notch in the second half, but it was not enough to make a dent in the Dartmouth defense. The improved Middlebury play did keep the gap steady at 19, at least for much of the second half.
The Big Green would add one more score in the second half to cap off the scoring with a 29-5 win. The victory pushed Dartmouth's record to 2-1 in the young season.
The B side game saw lots of Dartmouth players trying out new positions and ultimately ended in a 12-3 loss for the Big Green. Shortly after the beginning of the game Berniker, back to her normal position at flyhalf after trying other spots, scored Dartmouth's only points by kicking from the 22 meter line.
Middlebury took advantage of a lack of Dartmouth support behind the ball to score shortly before the end of the first half and again shortly before the end of the game to grab the victory.
Despite the loss, there were some high points for the Big Green. Outside center Cate Macomber '04 stepped up her play on both sides of the ball, making a big impact for the young squad.
Sonia Tarantolo '04 adapted easily to a new position (fullback) and also made some long runs as a wing. According to graduating prop Alice Pope '01, the Big Green scrum was "amazingly low and great."
Although the outcome was not perfect, the B side game showcased some talent for the years to come.
