The Dartmouth women's rugby club prevailed at the 23rd annual Beast of the East tournament last weekend. The Big Green regained its 2004 championship title after last year's runner-up finish and defeated four teams without letting any of the opposing squads score.
"It was great to win the tournament," Issy Anderson '07 said. "After being so close last year, something finally clicked in the Cornell game. Everyone was so aware of each other and of the field, which is what we have really been working on recently."
The women in green suffered a shaky start against Amherst in the first scheduled match of the tournament but still managed a 5-0 win. In the first half, Dartmouth played most of the game within 40 meters of the tryzone and Erin Garnett '06 and Julia Jacobsen '08 accounted for several great runs in this period.
Garnett also scored the only try of the game for Dartmouth in the second half off of a penalty. Kirsten Ahrendt '07 converted the try and brought the score to 7-0. The Big Green improved its game significantly near the end of the match and made noticeable improvement in its lineouts and counterattacks.
Following the 9 a.m. match against Amherst, the Big Green took on Cornell at 6 p.m. on Saturday and defeated the Big Red 31-0. Dartmouth took advantage of the wind and relied heavily on kicks from Jacobsen, Anderson and Ahrendt. The Big Green played the majority of the contest on offense and scored five unanswered tries consecutively.
On Sunday morning, the Big Green advanced to the semifinals and played the University of Connecticut. Great runs from Dartmouth's backline highlighted the 12-0 win. Big Green forwards and the backs played well-executed defense and applied intense pressure on the Huskies' offense throughout the contest.
In the final match of the tournament, Dartmouth overcame Vassar 7-0 and played the most aggressive game of the weekend. The Big Green initially struggled with lineouts but had a successful kicking game in the first half.
The match against Vassar was marked by several penalties that slowed down the pace of the game, but Dartmouth was able to make considerable gains in field play by running through holes with solid support. Ahrendt scored the only try of the game.
"We still have a way to go before we can continue to succeed without our seniors, but I think everyone's up to that challenge now and we are excited to see how much further we can get next year," Anderson said.
This year's Beast of the East tournament was held in Portsmouth, R.I. and 12 Division I teams competed in the tournament. In the 2005 tournament, Dartmouth advanced to the finals but lost the heartbreaker to Plymouth State. In 2004, the Big Green defeated Vassar in the finals and captured the title.
