Vassar 31, Cornell 0

Vassar College Rugby
Saturday & Sunday, November 9 & 10, 2002
RPI, Troy, NY

Northeast Rugby Union Championship 2002
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There are 92 women's collegiate rugby teams in the northeast split into 3 divisions. The Women's Division I title was won by Vassar College this past weekend as the Brewers took their overall record to 12-0 and beat the defending champions Dartmouth on Saturday, and then Cornell on Sunday. No BCS computer was needed to figure out that Vassar were number 1 as they came through the tough side of the draw and finished this fall as the only unbeaten division I school in the northeast. The Vassar victory also broke seven years of consecutive wins for the New England Rugby Union.

The strength of this squad is that every player has made contributions in different ways. Early in the season players were mixed and matched so that every player developed and was given the opportunity to improve their game and in the case of the newcomers to learn the game! So credit for this championship goes to all the squad: Julie Half, Darcy Nelson, Marissa Barela, Danielle Bayar, Nadia Brittingham, Robin Berger, Genevieve Byrne, Vanessa Chang, Jen Corliss, Emily Dorman, Lydia Durand, Killian Dykes, Kat Edmundson, Jessica Fyles, Emerald Garvey, Gauri Goyal, Valerie Griffeth, Julie Half, Jasmine Harris, Amber Hawkes, Mariko Holland, Ai Ito, Jessica Johnson, Becca Kirlin, Vivian Lee, Mary MacPherson, Adriana Mather, Vanessa Morris, Kirsten Naito, Sarah Powelson, Emily Purdy, Julia Rosen, Amy Rubin, Amanda Scott, Larkin Sealy, Cristy Shumaker, Bette Stern, Sarah Turbett, Hannah Van Winkle, Miriam Walter, Sari Warren, Mollie Warren, Dana Wasserman, Nora Weiss, Emma Wellman, Jessie Werner, and Laura Zipfel.

In addition, the support of the college, the work of "head coach" Mark Griffiths and assistant coach Aidan Mara, and the support of family, students, faculty, alumnae/i, alumnae/i parents, and friends have made this a wonderful experience for all involved. Thanks are due each and every one of you for your wonderful support of the team.

Sunday November 10, 2002
Vassar College Women 31 v Cornell University Women 0
Tries: Julie Half [1], Larkin Sealy [2], Jessica Fyles (1), and Darcy Nelson [1] .
Cons: Valerie Griffeth [3].

The Vassar women were not happy with the previous day's performance against Dartmouth despite winning 33-5. They had been unable to get their patterns of play going and knew they had to be more aggressive in the loose play. Maybe it was the fact that the first day jitters were out of the way but whatever the reason they started playing at a pace and with a sense of purpose that put Cornell on the back foot right from the outset.

After just 8 minutes, all Vassar pressure, co-captain Julie Half went over from close range after the forwards had gone through 3 phases following a scrum just 15 yards out from the Cornell line. Vassar had received compliments from the Dartmouth coach the day before on the quality of their scrummaging and it was clear that this would be a long day for Cornell up front. Vanessa Chang continued her outstanding hooking stealing ball for Vassar which was duly run right at the Cornell defence by number 8 Darcy Nelson. The first half was punctuated with darting runs from Julie Half and Darcy Nelson as they went from scrum and loose play. The second try was as simple as they come. Vanessa Chang took a strike against the head so Julie Half picked up and ran down the blindside and passed to left wing Larkin Sealy to score. Vassar 12, Cornell 0. Moments later Jessica Fyles continued what she started as a freshman, scoring against Cornell, as she took a short pass at a penalty and ploughed over. Val Griffeth converted for the second time and Vassar hadn't let Cornell get any real possession and led 19-0.

Cornell battled back at this point and made some in roads with a couple of dangerous breaks but the Vassar defence scrambled back and regrouped. This Vassar team has only given up 4 tries all fall season in 12 games which amounts to over 15 hours of rugby! They were determined to have the final say in the half and did so with a carbon copy of the Sealy try. At 31 minutes Chang took another ball against the head and it was the Half to Sealy connection that put another 5 points on the board for a half time lead of 24-0.

The second half saw Cornell tackle and tackle in an effort to stem the tide and they certainly showed great character thwarting the Vassar attacks and limiting the Brewers to just 1 try when co-captain Darcy Nelson rounded off a great weekend picking up from a scrum just 10 yards out and powering over.

The efforts of all are to be generously applauded. Senior Sarah Turbett, who had taken a hard knock on her left thigh played the entire game and was magnificent in attack and defence. Junior Killian Dykes also had a scare whe she jammed her thumb in the warm-up on Saturday but she too played with the injury. The forwards as a whole got their act together against Cornell and drove lineouts for significant gains and then recycled the ball to the backs. This had been a problem against Dartmouth who had managed to wrap up players and either prevent or slow down possession being won. The rucking was working again as the forwards got good body position and ran hard off the fringes - they were back to their "A" game!

The team has now secured a place in the national championship sweet 16 round. This takes place in the spring over the weekend of April 19 & 20, most likely in Orlando, Florida. As soon as we get confirmation of the venue and dates it will be passed along to all.

Congratulations to the Vassar Women's Rugby team of 2002. But also a very special thank you to all the Vassar Women's teams of prior years for laying the foundations for this success.

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, Vanessa Morris for Sari Warren, Amy Rubin for Kristen Naito, Emily Dorman for Larkin Sealy, and Amber Hawkes for Emerald Garvey

Vassar College Women's Rugby 2002 record: 12-0-0 overall (7-0-0 Met NY)
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	VASSAR WOMEN ARE No.1 in 2002! Vassar College Rugby Saturday & Sunday, November 9 & 10, 2002 RPI, Troy, NY Northeast Rugby Union Championship 2002 ********************************* There are 92 women's collegiate rugby teams in the northeast split into 3 divisions. The Women's Division I title was won by Vassar College this past weekend as the Brewers took their overall record to 12-0 and beat the defending champions Dartmouth on Saturday, and then Cornell on Sunday. No BCS computer was needed to figure out that Vassar were number 1 as they came through the tough side of the draw and finished this fall as the only unbeaten division I school in the northeast. The Vassar victory also broke seven years of consecutive wins for the New England Rugby Union. The strength of this squad is that every player has made contributions in different ways. Early in the season players were mixed and matched so that every player developed and was given the opportunity to improve their game and in the case of the newcomers to learn the game! So credit for this championship goes to all the squad: Julie Half, Darcy Nelson, Marissa Barela, Danielle Bayar, Nadia Brittingham, Robin Berger, Genevieve Byrne, Vanessa Chang, Jen Corliss, Emily Dorman, Lydia Durand, Killian Dykes, Kat Edmundson, Jessica Fyles, Emerald Garvey, Gauri Goyal, Valerie Griffeth, Julie Half, Jasmine Harris, Amber Hawkes, Mariko Holland, Ai Ito, Jessica Johnson, Becca Kirlin, Vivian Lee, Mary MacPherson, Adriana Mather, Vanessa Morris, Kirsten Naito, Sarah Powelson, Emily Purdy, Julia Rosen, Amy Rubin, Amanda Scott, Larkin Sealy, Cristy Shumaker, Bette Stern, Sarah Turbett, Hannah Van Winkle, Miriam Walter, Sari Warren, Mollie Warren, Dana Wasserman, Nora Weiss, Emma Wellman, Jessie Werner, and Laura Zipfel. In addition, the support of the college, the work of "head coach" Mark Griffiths and assistant coach Aidan Mara, and the support of family, students, faculty, alumnae/i, alumnae/i parents, and friends have made this a wonderful experience for all involved. Thanks are due each and every one of you for your wonderful support of the team. Sunday November 10, 2002 Vassar College Women 31 v Cornell University Women 0 Tries: Julie Half [1], Larkin Sealy [2], Jessica Fyles (1), and Darcy Nelson [1] . Cons: Valerie Griffeth [3]. The Vassar women were not happy with the previous day's performance against Dartmouth despite winning 33-5. They had been unable to get their patterns of play going and knew they had to be more aggressive in the loose play. Maybe it was the fact that the first day jitters were out of the way but whatever the reason they started playing at a pace and with a sense of purpose that put Cornell on the back foot right from the outset. After just 8 minutes, all Vassar pressure, co-captain Julie Half went over from close range after the forwards had gone through 3 phases following a scrum just 15 yards out from the Cornell line. Vassar had received compliments from the Dartmouth coach the day before on the quality of their scrummaging and it was clear that this would be a long day for Cornell up front. Vanessa Chang continued her outstanding hooking stealing ball for Vassar which was duly run right at the Cornell defence by number 8 Darcy Nelson. The first half was punctuated with darting runs from Julie Half and Darcy Nelson as they went from scrum and loose play. The second try was as simple as they come. Vanessa Chang took a strike against the head so Julie Half picked up and ran down the blindside and passed to left wing Larkin Sealy to score. Vassar 12, Cornell 0. Moments later Jessica Fyles continued what she started as a freshman, scoring against Cornell, as she took a short pass at a penalty and ploughed over. Val Griffeth converted for the second time and Vassar hadn't let Cornell get any real possession and led 19-0. Cornell battled back at this point and made some in roads with a couple of dangerous breaks but the Vassar defence scrambled back and regrouped. This Vassar team has only given up 4 tries all fall season in 12 games which amounts to over 15 hours of rugby! They were determined to have the final say in the half and did so with a carbon copy of the Sealy try. At 31 minutes Chang took another ball against the head and it was the Half to Sealy connection that put another 5 points on the board for a half time lead of 24-0. The second half saw Cornell tackle and tackle in an effort to stem the tide and they certainly showed great character thwarting the Vassar attacks and limiting the Brewers to just 1 try when co-captain Darcy Nelson rounded off a great weekend picking up from a scrum just 10 yards out and powering over. The efforts of all are to be generously applauded. Senior Sarah Turbett, who had taken a hard knock on her left thigh played the entire game and was magnificent in attack and defence. Junior Killian Dykes also had a scare whe she jammed her thumb in the warm-up on Saturday but she too played with the injury. The forwards as a whole got their act together against Cornell and drove lineouts for significant gains and then recycled the ball to the backs. This had been a problem against Dartmouth who had managed to wrap up players and either prevent or slow down possession being won. The rucking was working again as the forwards got good body position and ran hard off the fringes - they were back to their "A" game! The team has now secured a place in the national championship sweet 16 round. This takes place in the spring over the weekend of April 19 & 20, most likely in Orlando, Florida. As soon as we get confirmation of the venue and dates it will be passed along to all. Congratulations to the Vassar Women's Rugby team of 2002. But also a very special thank you to all the Vassar Women's teams of prior years for laying the foundations for this success. 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, Vanessa Morris for Sari Warren, Amy Rubin for Kristen Naito, Emily Dorman for Larkin Sealy, and Amber Hawkes for Emerald Garvey Vassar College Women's Rugby 2002 record: 12-0-0 overall (7-0-0 Met NY) **********************************************************