Vassar 45, Radcliffe 0

Vassar College Rugby
Saturday November 7, 2002
Poughkeepsie, NY

Cold Temperatures with Possibility of Snow

The weather forecast indicated it would be cold and that their might be sleet and snow during this matchup between Vassar, the Met. NY Champion, and the number 3 team from New England, Radcliffe. Although the sun shone throughout and conditions were brisk the Harvard women received the most frosty of welcomes from the Vassar forwards.

Saturday November 7, 2002
Vassar College Women 45 v Radcliffe Women 0
Tries: Jessica Fyles (1), Larkin Sealy (2), Julie Half (1), Val Griffeth (1), & Emerald Garvey (2).
Cons: Val Griffeth (5).

Vassar's Vanessa Chang took the first two scrums against the head as the Vassar pack steamrollered the small Radcliffe pack and it was clear that it was going to be a long day for the visitors. The Vassar women took this game by the scruff of the neck right from the get go and never allowed Radcliffe to settle.

After just 7 minutes the forwards who had run well off the fringes for two phases drove a maul some 15 yards and just when it looked like it might be stopped Jessica Fyles plunged over near the left upright for the opening try. Jess's father had flown all the way from California and had his video camera rolling so that moment will get plenty of reruns! Then it was the backs turn to get in on the act as Larkin Sealy, who had an outstanding match, nipped down the blindside and beat several defenders to score and all of a sudden it was Vassar 12 Radcliffe 0. The play was all in the Radcliffe half and the Vassar forwards were exerting their usual dominant game. They drove lineout ball and ran hard off the fringes of the rucks. There were a few mishaps as ball placement went astray or support was slow to clear out, but the overall result was that either Vassar had the ball going forward or Radcliffe were on the backfoot even when they poached.

Julie Half, also playing in front of her California based parents, scampered in and with Val Griffeth's conversion it was 19-0. Then came two tries before the end of the first half that were more than deserved. Emerald Garvey went over not once but twice from close range as the Vassar forwards kept up the pressure. The senior flanker was also playing just as tough on defense as she made some huge tackles as Radcliffe tried to mount attacks from scrums. So at the half it was 31-0 and Radcliffe were looking at a long drive home!

Vassar definitely let up some in the second half and at the same time Radcliffe came storming downfield making a game of it. The Cambridge based team pressured for about 10 minutes and dropped a scoring pass right on the Vassar goal line but that just seemed to jolt the Brewers back into action. There was still fight in both teams as evidenced when Killian Dykes was popped through with an inside pass from standoff Julia Rosen and the tall flanker cranked a stiff arm that looked like a Muhammad Ali left jab which left a Radcliffe woman sprawling! The referee quite rightly penalized her but VC alum Joomi Pak will smile knowingly when she reads this report.

Then Vassar were reduced to 14 when Sari Warren was yellow carded. Val Griffeth scored a lovely try which she converted before Larkin Sealy closed the VC account with a textbook try. The forwards went through 3 phases before the ball was swung wide to the backs and good handling put the left winger in for her second try.

This was a comprehensive victory for the Brewers and confirmed their place in the top 4 of the 92 women's teams in the northeast. This squad, all 47 of them, have worked well this year and the benefits are starting to show. The worrying thing for future opponents is that there is still a lot of room for improvement! Ball placement could be better, some tactical decisions were poor, and the pace can be picked up a notch. Maybe Cristy Shumaker was right when she said, "You have no idea...."

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 Subs: Hannah Van Winkle for Nora Weiss, Emily Dorman for Sarah Turbett, Amy Rubin for Kirsten Naito, Vanessa Morris for Darcy Nelson, & Sarah Griffin for Lydia Durand.

The women have now earned a Northeast Final 4 spot and will play at RPI in Troy, NY next weekend on Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 pm.



	BREWERS STUN RADCLIFFE IN FIRST HALF Vassar College Rugby Saturday November 7, 2002 Poughkeepsie, NY Cold Temperatures with Possibility of Snow The weather forecast indicated it would be cold and that their might be sleet and snow during this matchup between Vassar, the Met. NY Champion, and the number 3 team from New England, Radcliffe. Although the sun shone throughout and conditions were brisk the Harvard women received the most frosty of welcomes from the Vassar forwards. Saturday November 7, 2002 Vassar College Women 45 v Radcliffe Women 0 Tries: Jessica Fyles (1), Larkin Sealy (2), Julie Half (1), Val Griffeth (1), & Emerald Garvey (2). Cons: Val Griffeth (5). Vassar's Vanessa Chang took the first two scrums against the head as the Vassar pack steamrollered the small Radcliffe pack and it was clear that it was going to be a long day for the visitors. The Vassar women took this game by the scruff of the neck right from the get go and never allowed Radcliffe to settle. After just 7 minutes the forwards who had run well off the fringes for two phases drove a maul some 15 yards and just when it looked like it might be stopped Jessica Fyles plunged over near the left upright for the opening try. Jess's father had flown all the way from California and had his video camera rolling so that moment will get plenty of reruns! Then it was the backs turn to get in on the act as Larkin Sealy, who had an outstanding match, nipped down the blindside and beat several defenders to score and all of a sudden it was Vassar 12 Radcliffe 0. The play was all in the Radcliffe half and the Vassar forwards were exerting their usual dominant game. They drove lineout ball and ran hard off the fringes of the rucks. There were a few mishaps as ball placement went astray or support was slow to clear out, but the overall result was that either Vassar had the ball going forward or Radcliffe were on the backfoot even when they poached. Julie Half, also playing in front of her California based parents, scampered in and with Val Griffeth's conversion it was 19-0. Then came two tries before the end of the first half that were more than deserved. Emerald Garvey went over not once but twice from close range as the Vassar forwards kept up the pressure. The senior flanker was also playing just as tough on defense as she made some huge tackles as Radcliffe tried to mount attacks from scrums. So at the half it was 31-0 and Radcliffe were looking at a long drive home! Vassar definitely let up some in the second half and at the same time Radcliffe came storming downfield making a game of it. The Cambridge based team pressured for about 10 minutes and dropped a scoring pass right on the Vassar goal line but that just seemed to jolt the Brewers back into action. There was still fight in both teams as evidenced when Killian Dykes was popped through with an inside pass from standoff Julia Rosen and the tall flanker cranked a stiff arm that looked like a Muhammad Ali left jab which left a Radcliffe woman sprawling! The referee quite rightly penalized her but VC alum Joomi Pak will smile knowingly when she reads this report. Then Vassar were reduced to 14 when Sari Warren was yellow carded. Val Griffeth scored a lovely try which she converted before Larkin Sealy closed the VC account with a textbook try. The forwards went through 3 phases before the ball was swung wide to the backs and good handling put the left winger in for her second try. This was a comprehensive victory for the Brewers and confirmed their place in the top 4 of the 92 women's teams in the northeast. This squad, all 47 of them, have worked well this year and the benefits are starting to show. The worrying thing for future opponents is that there is still a lot of room for improvement! Ball placement could be better, some tactical decisions were poor, and the pace can be picked up a notch. Maybe Cristy Shumaker was right when she said, "You have no idea...." 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 Subs: Hannah Van Winkle for Nora Weiss, Emily Dorman for Sarah Turbett, Amy Rubin for Kirsten Naito, Vanessa Morris for Darcy Nelson, & Sarah Griffin for Lydia Durand. The women have now earned a Northeast Final 4 spot and will play at RPI in Troy, NY next weekend on Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 pm.