Rugby Rocks New Victim in Shutout

Author: Jack Donaldson

The Panther rugby team is one of the most accomplished, powerful team that the school fields, as reflected by its excellent results. And they do it all without hundreds of fans from town or the glitz and glamor that accompanies some of the other sports teams here at Middlebury. As Calvin Garner '06 put it, "[We] go to work and get the job done. Simple as that."

This past Saturday, Middlebury manhandled Geneseo State University (SUNY-Geneseo) in the quarterfinals of the Northeast Territorial, winning by a score of 78-0. Many of the people in attendance, including a large proportion of visiting parents were astounded at the high level of play by the Middlebury men. Mike Accordino '06, who confessed that he was only introduced to the sport this year, said that the speed of Middlebury's famed back line, which ran all over the Ivy League this season, "took [his] breath away."

What was particularly notable about this weekend's one-sided duel, was in fact, was the sheer number of people that were in attendance for the game. The team has been successful throughout the season, yet this weekend seemed to be the first time that many students came out to root for their squad. This did not go unnoticed by the players. "Oh, sure, I saw them," said Garner, referring to the noisy students on the knoll, some with signs and body paint, "and I loved it. We loved it. Every athlete wants to see a crowd come and pull for them."

Whether it was the crowd or simply a greater desire to win the game on the day, the Middlebury players dominated the visitors from start to finish, not giving Geneseo any chance to even try to exploit a weakness, in the Middlebury armor. Every man that took the field for wearing the Panther jersey played well, from the regular starters to some of the less experienced members of the team. The all around performance of the men could clearly be seen by the fact that all members of the Middlebury back line were able to cross the line for a try as the scored continued to rise throughout the afternoon. The unrelenting barrage of offensive production by Middlebury, which kept most of the action in Geneseo's half, lasted from the very first minute to the very last. At halftime in the game , with Middlebury already having a commanding lead at 59-0, the reserves were able to shed their warmups and take the field to showcase their talents. In true Middlebury fashion they did not disappoint, and continued the scoring assault throughout the second half of play.

With the win over Geneseo, Middlebury qualified for the semifinals next Saturday at UMass, where it will likely see the Coast Guard once again. If it wins that game, it will play in the final on Sunday, also at Umass. The team has made it this far by seemling cruising through many of its opponents, but being at the top is making some of the players a little wary. "Maybe, its better not to be the best," mused Garner, channeling a famous speech by Bobby Fisher, "that way, if you lose, it's not a big deal." Then he caught himself and smiled. "But I don't even remember what it feels like to lose. And I don't plan on being reminded." With this kind of determination and ruthlessness running through the team, it will take something pretty special to derail the Middlebury rugby team. Given their form up to this point, the Panthers would be disappointed not to go a long way in the post-season this year, and perhaps a the end of it bring home a national championship.