Men's rugby keeps rolling

Author: Eri Nosaka

On Saturday the women's middlebury rugby team suffered an unfortunate loss to Keene State by a score of 0-12. As the team matures, it still struggles with its lack of experienced players. However, newcomers Rachel Korschun '09 and Amelia Magistrali '09 made a strong impact on Saturday.

"Our rucking was a lot better, but I think our problem is in the lack of experience on the team. We need to gain more confidence in our defense and in the game in general. A lot of the players don't really know the game so it has been a real challenge," said the women's head coach K.O. Onufry. However, Onufry remains optimistic with regard to the upcoming games." I have so much respect for the girls who are playing a game that they really don't know. They are extremely dedicated and soon the skill will follow," she said.

Next week, the team faces another tough game against Norwich. Though last year they beat Norwich in a close game, the Cadets remain strong competitors. With a strong program and a larger group of veterans it should be a tough match that will push the team both physically and mentally.

On the men's side, after a five hour bus ride on Sunday, the Panthers came out with a tremendous victory against Bryant College. With strong contributions from Caleb Consenstein '06, Craig Wilson '07, and Jeff McCormick '06, the A side rugby men's team prevailed by a score of 71-3. The B side experienced similar results with a score of 45-15. "In sum it was a great day. The first 15 minutes we weren't in our rhythm but in the next 20 minutes we scored 30 points and totally broke them right there. We had some great plays in the backline and our scrumming went really well even though we were playing with our back up props, Alex White '09 and Jason Jude '08," said Calvin Garner '06.

The landslide victory over Bryant marks their third victory against a conference team this season. There has been no stopping the hot Panther squad and this trend is sure to continue. As of now the team is ranked first in their conference and anticipate a great game against St. Mike's College on Saturday.