Seniors strengthen women's rugby program

Author: James Schwerdtman

The women's rugby team has been putting on a clinic on the pitch so far this season. This season has been something special to this point, as the Panthers have not yielded one point to their competitors so far. The team is led by a strong core of seniors, whose experience with the game and team chemistry has been central to its dominance to this point. The team was bolstered this fall with the return of many key players who had been abroad last spring, and are now showing how dearly they were missed.

"Never before in my memory has our A-side featured such a number of talented and experienced players," said Jackie Montagne '09. "Everyone tackles well, catches well, and communicates effectively, which are some of the most fundamental but crucial skills in rugby."

The season began with a bang, and there have been no signs that it is letting up, as was apparent this past weekend. The team's first contest was against Colby-Sawyer, which suffered a 78-0 defeat at the hands of the Panthers. They matched this play with a 53-0 win over Smith College. The team's most recent match was against a tough Mt. Holyoke team but the Panthers dominated them too, 66-0.

"Mt. Holyoke came out to win," said Montange, "and they certainly showed a lot of power in scrums and rucks."

Middlebury's game was centered around ball control, as they held possession for the majority of the game. This strategy, coupled with the superior communication and overall team play, prevented Mt. Holyoke from mounting a serious defense. The forwards, led by Avery Rain '09, Alice Ford '09, and Amelia Magistrali '09 were crucial in gaining possession from every ruck, and the backs, especially Kristina Brown and the dependable Rachel Korschun '09, were very efficient at moving the ball up the pitch. Montagne also made a point of recognizing Ahn Lie '09, "our new winger, [who] has been outrunning teams with her speed down the sidelines. Their strategy of "focusing on how to calm our play down and make smart strategic decisions that other teams don't know how to react to," that Montagne described has obviously been paying off thus far. "We're currently at the top of our division and we're planning on staying there," she said.

As the Panthers look to the spring, the confidence that has carried them so far this fall seems only to build. The team is currently fundraising to go to Ireland over Feb break, where they will play against European teams for the first time. There is a clear enthusiasm among the team for this trip, as it says on their Facebook group: "The Middlebury Women's Rugby Team is determined, nay, hell-bent, on getting … some international bruises. The senior-heavy team is not expecting to lose a great deal of players who may go abroad, but as Montagne put it, "we have a plethora of talented athletes to choose from." If the team keeps up the play they have been showing they are capable of so far, there is nothing stopping them from being a force in the spring."