Women's rugby earns trip to NRU Tournament
By Ryan Yeung, Issue 08, 10/29/2002
Amidst all the hype for the postseason in varsity sports, the women's rugby team has quietly put together their best season in recent memory. Last weekend, the women showed why they are one of the best teams in New England by tallying two wins.
The Jeffs played the UMass Minutemen on Oct. 19 in a game that helped qualify them for the New England Rugby Football Union Tournament (NERFU). The Jeffs scored one try in the emotional 5-3 win. "When the whistle blew and we had beaten UMass for the first time in school history, I felt elation and admiration for all the girls I had just played with," said backs captain Elizabeth Hawkins '03.
The Women's Division I NERFU Tournament began last Saturday. Amherst, which had just had an emotional win against UMass, went through another emotional roller coaster, this time against Brown University. The Jeffs knew if they could beat the Bears, they would advance to the Northeastern Rugby Union Tournament the following Saturday. The game was tied 5-5 heading into overtime and came down to a best of five kicks between Katie Ryder '06 and a Brown player. Under the pressure, Ryder did not falter, nailing four kicks to her opponents two. "She showed incredible composure by completing all of her kicks under such intense pressure," said women's rugby President Catherine Itaya '04.
The final game Amherst played in the NERFU Tournament came against Radcliffe College. The Jeffs lost this game 5-0, falling to the number four ranking in New England with Brown advancing to number three.