Vassar 29, Columbia 0

Sunday October 27, 2002
Vassar College Women 29 v Columbia University Women 0
Tries: Jessica Fyles (1), Dana Wasserman (1), Julie Half (1), Val Griffeth (2).
Cons: Val Griffeth (2).

This was the consumate team performance and Vassar started with a bang and never let their foot off the accelerator. The pace of the women's game was a notch higher than Columbia could handle and it paid dividends for Julie Half at number 9. She was able to get good flat passes off to fringe runners and they busted upfield leaving an array of defenders behind. Jessica Fyles was outstanding and she was well supported by a pack that was hungry for the ball. Perhaps for the first time this year the team regained that dogged attitude that they learned in Australia when the ball was in such short supply! "Who wants it most" may well be the battle cry for this pack as they hope to progress through the Northeast Championship.

In addition to the hard straight running of the forwards the Vassar backs began to fire on all cylinders. Yes, there were a few gear changes that could have gone smoother but as a unit they had their best weekend of the season thus far. It's exciting to watch these women get better and better the more they play each week alongside one another. The center partnership are linking well with their outside strike runners and proving the perfect foil. The third try of the game, after Val Griffeth had scored number 2,
epitomized why this is a good team.

Sari Warren caught a ball that was overthrown at the back of a lineout. She sprinted straight upfield and when tackled produced clean ruck ball. Julie Half popped a pass to a fringe runner who busted upfield another 5 yards. Then, with the Columbia backs in tatters, this second ruck ball was put smoothly through the backs hands for Dana Wasserman to run over untouched. Halftime Vassar 19, Columbia 0. In fact Columbia had only been in the Vassar half for a few sorties!

Co-captain Julie Half scored from a scrum about 10 meters out when she chose the perfect angle having received a pass from number 8 Darcy Nelson. Then towards the end of the game Julie Half nipped around a ruck and fed Val Griffeth for the final score. Columbia had put up a brave defence but the Vassar arsenal was just too much for them to handle. Griffeth completed the 2 games with a personal tally of 51 points helped significantly by the fact that Vassar players kept scoring right under the posts.

The women have earned a Northeast quarterfinal spot and will play at home next weekend against the New England number 3 seed, Radcliffe.

Team: 15 Valerie Griffeth 14 Dana Wasserman 13 Lydia Durand 12 Sarah Turbett 11 Larkin Sealy 10 Julia Rosen 9 Julie Half 1 Jess Fyles 2 Vanessa Chang 3 Nora Weiss 4 Kirsten Naito 5 Sari Warren 6 Killian Dykes 7 Emerald Garvey 8 Darcy Nelson



	Vassar Win Sixth Met. NY Title Sunday October 27, 2002 Vassar College Women 29 v Columbia University Women 0 Tries: Jessica Fyles (1), Dana Wasserman (1), Julie Half (1), Val Griffeth (2). Cons: Val Griffeth (2). This was the consumate team performance and Vassar started with a bang and never let their foot off the accelerator. The pace of the women's game was a notch higher than Columbia could handle and it paid dividends for Julie Half at number 9. She was able to get good flat passes off to fringe runners and they busted upfield leaving an array of defenders behind. Jessica Fyles was outstanding and she was well supported by a pack that was hungry for the ball. Perhaps for the first time this year the team regained that dogged attitude that they learned in Australia when the ball was in such short supply! "Who wants it most" may well be the battle cry for this pack as they hope to progress through the Northeast Championship. In addition to the hard straight running of the forwards the Vassar backs began to fire on all cylinders. Yes, there were a few gear changes that could have gone smoother but as a unit they had their best weekend of the season thus far. It's exciting to watch these women get better and better the more they play each week alongside one another. The center partnership are linking well with their outside strike runners and proving the perfect foil. The third try of the game, after Val Griffeth had scored number 2, epitomized why this is a good team. Sari Warren caught a ball that was overthrown at the back of a lineout. She sprinted straight upfield and when tackled produced clean ruck ball. Julie Half popped a pass to a fringe runner who busted upfield another 5 yards. Then, with the Columbia backs in tatters, this second ruck ball was put smoothly through the backs hands for Dana Wasserman to run over untouched. Halftime Vassar 19, Columbia 0. In fact Columbia had only been in the Vassar half for a few sorties! Co-captain Julie Half scored from a scrum about 10 meters out when she chose the perfect angle having received a pass from number 8 Darcy Nelson. Then towards the end of the game Julie Half nipped around a ruck and fed Val Griffeth for the final score. Columbia had put up a brave defence but the Vassar arsenal was just too much for them to handle. Griffeth completed the 2 games with a personal tally of 51 points helped significantly by the fact that Vassar players kept scoring right under the posts. The women have earned a Northeast quarterfinal spot and will play at home next weekend against the New England number 3 seed, Radcliffe. Team: 15 Valerie Griffeth 14 Dana Wasserman 13 Lydia Durand 12 Sarah Turbett 11 Larkin Sealy 10 Julia Rosen 9 Julie Half 1 Jess Fyles 2 Vanessa Chang 3 Nora Weiss 4 Kirsten Naito 5 Sari Warren 6 Killian Dykes 7 Emerald Garvey 8 Darcy Nelson