Gulls Top Western Connecticut for First 2014 Victory

DANBURY, Conn. – The Endicott women's club rugby team traveled to Western Connecticut over the weekend. The match marked the Gulls third CCRC matchup of the season. After many efforts by all the Blue and Green notched their first victory of the season with a final 41-19 score. Endicott sits at 1-2 on the season as they look to Saturday, October 18^th where they travel to Plymouth State.

Endicott kicked away to start the game, and WCSU dropped the ball but retained possession, sending several effective crashes against a bunched-up Endicott defense. However, once Endicott spread themselves across the field more effectively, and got to rucks quicker, they regained possession before a minute had been played.

The Blue and Green then started an effective run of forward crash after forward crash, before losing possession within 10 meters of the try line. Sophomore Katilyn Page (Salem, N.H.) regained the ball almost immediately with a nice strip off a mauling WCSU forward, but once again sloppy rucking caused another turnover. Finally, with WCSU backed up against their try line, senior Erica Hamilton (Bedford, Mass.) showed impressive anticipation and intercepted a backline pass to skip in and score.

Page converted on the nearly centered kick to make a 7-0 opening score. WSCU then kicked away, and after a WCSU member dove into the first ruck came away with the ball again. But in the very next phase, Hamilton again intercepted a pass and ran 50 meters to score again, with time to center; Page converted for a 14-0 score, all within the first 6 minutes of play.

As a result to some Endicott miscues, there were no scores for a good 20 minutes as hard work by Endicott was spoiled by multiple turnovers, and WCSU made some significant progress on offensive line.

Eventually, Endicott started driving again with efforts from sophomore Anna Giangregorio (Toland, Conn.) who stripped the ball from a stationary WCSU player. The strip turned into an impressive Gulls drive led by junior Amanda Smart (Douglas, Mass.).

Minutes later sophomore Grace Grieco (East Orleans, Mass.) picked off a long line-out throw at 10 meters from the try line, went to ground, where freshman Julie Rentz (South Windsor, Conn.) passed off the back of a good ruck to Hamilton, who headed straight for the corner to score, 19-0.

Later in the match senior Sierra Kenkel (Kellispell, Mont.) made a quick-tap and pass to Grieco which led to a third phase 24-0 score.

What followed was some of the best rugby Endicott played all day, culminating in a beautiful series of phases, the second-to-last of which saw the full use of the field as Page passed to Grieco, who continued to run 10 meters before getting tackled just before the try line where Hamilton was then able to nudge over the line for a Gulls tally. Page followed with a nice conversion at a tough angle, 31-0 with a minute to go in the half.

Late in the second half of the match Kenkel scored her first try of the day on a pick from the back of a ruck,to make it a 36-7 score.

WCSU responded right away, though, with another try in the corner, once again sneaking around the undefended weak side of a ruck, 36-12. Endicott scored twice more in the game, first on another beautiful end-around run by junior Samantha Hontas (Lee, Mass.) on a simple pass from the back of a scrum to Kenkel, and then in the final few minutes of play on a pushover try to create the final 41-19 score.