The Dartmouth Women's Rugby Club finished third in the final tournament of the season after splitting two games this weekend. The DWRC lost to the University of Massachusetts on Saturday and defeated Williams College on Sunday.
The ruggers faced the Minutewomen on their home field on a windy day in Amherst. Dartmouth began the game with strong defense. Senior Joanne Sprague and the forwards made a number of tackles that prevented UMass from scoring. A kick from Emily Battle '05 sent the ball downfield, but the Minutewomen soon brought it back for a try.
Several minutes later, Dartmouth threatened to score, but UMass was able to kick out of trouble. In the backfield, fullback Jackie Johnson '05 made a key tackle that prevented a second try. Great runs by Jen Obiapi '04 and Meg Verdeyen '03 nearly led to a try for Dartmouth, but halftime came too quickly. The Minutewomen came out strong in the second half and scored three more times. They converted two kicks, and the final score was 0-24.
On Sunday, Dartmouth defeated Williams by a score of 20-17. The Ephs scored first off a ruck, but the DWRC worked hard to maintain possession of the ball and waited patiently for the opportunity to score. That opportunity came after wing Annie Snider '04 ran for about 40 meters, taking the ball to midfield. Flyhalf Emily Battle '05 then broke through the defense, and the ball was again passed out to Snider, who touched down the try for the Big Green. The scored remained tied at five at halftime.
In the second half, flanker Amanda Behm '04 took the ball off a scrum and ran nearly 15 meters before she was stopped close to the tryline. Following another scrum at the 5 meter line, Sprague passed the ball out to Ashley Massey '04, who scored a try. Williams quickly tied the game up, however, and went ahead by two points on the conversion kick.
Not to be outdone, the DWRC brought the ball back towards the tryzone through the efforts of Johanna Willer '04. Alyssa Caballero '06 came up with the ball following a ruck, and ran right through several defenders to score a try. The score was 15-12 in favor of Dartmouth.
In the last few minutes of the half, the Ephs scored again, regaining a two-point lead. But the DWRC was determined to finish strong. Great running by Diana Geisser '06 gained some ground for the Big Green. The ball was then passed out to Snider, who scored the winning try-- mere seconds before the final whistle. "We're glad to have ended our season on a win!" said an enthusiastic Snider.
Christine Devane is a member of the Dartmouth Women's Rugby Club
