BRUNSWICK, Maine - Solid defense, teamwork and good ball handling gave the Bowdoin women's rugby team a 34-0 win against Northeastern University Saturday at Pickard Field. The Polar Bears stand at 4-2 overall this season and 2-2 in NERFU play.

Bowdoin's balanced attack between the forwards and backs was the result of hard work at practice all week; with better communication and commitment to each other, the support was much better off set pieces, tactical kicks and in second phase. The Huskies put Bowdoin under early pressure after a few scoring opportunities for the Polar Bears went unfulfilled; Bowdoin found themselves playing multiple phases of defense in their end until they were finally able to work the ball downfield with good kicking and pressure. Scrumhalf Becky Stevens got the Polar Bears on the board with a nice run up the right sideline, swerving past defenders and touching it down near the sideline. Her conversion kick was good, yielding a 7-0 lead. Several minutes later at midfield, #12 Danielle Willey connected nicely on an offensive play with #10 Katie Mathews , who took the hole, drew the defender and fed speedy winger Anna Nicol who sprinted just shy of the try line before being tackled. With a strong base, Nicol kept her feet and took advantage of the instant support from co-captain Erica Camarena, popping her the ball; Camarena scampered hard into the try zone. Conversion kick missed by Stevens to give Bowdoin a 12-0 lead.

While Northeastern gave Bowdoin some early trouble in the scrums and lineouts, Bowdoin steadily got things under control and maintained good pressure and possession for the remainder of the first half. Nice execution of passing and running down the entire backline produced a try for wing Elsbeth Paige-Jeffers'10. Northeastern tried several times to run the ball but solid tacking from Allie Dupont '12, Camarena, Stevens, Dani McAvoy'13 and Lena Midney '12 kept them from advancing. Bowdoin received another kickoff and worked their way upfield with the help of Mathews boot off of several Husky penalties. From 10 meters out from the goal line, multiple phases of play were controlled by ,Bowdoin's forward pack including Nylea Bivins and Danielle Carniaux and scrumhalf Stevens, eventually leading to Uche Esonu '13 taking a 'pick and go' and scoring in the far left corner. Stevens, utilizing a new kicking strategy from such a wide angle, sliced the uprights for the 2 conversion points. Ending the first half with a beautifully skilled move, co-captain Hannah Larson took a pass from her teammate, ran the ball upfield 15 meters and chip kicked the ball over their fullback, chased it down and scored in the end zone. The conversion kick by Stevens made the score at halftime 29 - 0 in favor of Bowdoin.

Northeastern tightened up their defense and kept the ball in the forward pack during the second half, and were knocking on the goal line several times. Despite being unable to score due to mistakes caused by pressure defense, they played well. Possession went back and forth during the second half with both teams making their share of mistakes. Bowdoin was unable to capitalize on more line breaks by the halfbacks due to trailing support. Instead, the Polar Bears counted on ball placement in the tackle, and winning their own rucks, to restart their attack. Taking the ball off one such ruck on another 'pick and go' move, Esonu scored her second try of the match. Stevens' conversion kick was good, and the final score ended at 36-0.

Bowdoin's backline looked its sharpest yet this fall, connecting with good passing, kicking and hard running on offense, and solid tackling on defense. The pack also increased its game organization, communication and support.

Northeastern University had only a few B-side players but true to the culture and sportsmanship of rugby, many first side players joined their teammates and played a second game, honoring their commitment to Bowdoin's B-team. A class act and much appreciated. Despite playing out of position, Northeastern was hungry to score and broke through the line several times. Amanda Ray had a strong defensive effort, running a hard 'cover' angle and saving a try as one of her many tackles. While Bowdoin's pack worked on their organization and commitment to defensive rucks, the Huskies eventually broke through the line on two occasions and led 10 - 0 at the half.

In the second half, Bowdoin upped their pressure and gained more possession. Scrumhalf Nicole Erkis had a number of good runs through the defense, and looked for support runners to continue the attack. Off a won ruck, Erkis passed the ball to blindside winger Helen White '13, who raced 50 meters for her first try of the season. The play continued back and forth, with the Huskies scoring one more try, and the Bowdoin Polar Bears gaining some very good experience throughout the match. Final score 20 - 5.

Next week, 11:00A.M. Homecoming Weekend vs U.N.H. at Pickard Fields.