MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - Soggy field conditions didn't deter the Bowdoin College women's rugby team from finishing off a perfect regular season with a 58-0 win on Saturday at Middlebury.
The Polar Bears (7-0) captured the top seed for the New England Small College Rugby Conference and will battle second-seeded Tufts at home next Saturday, November 1 at 1:00 p.m. for the league championship. The winner gains an automatic bid to the USA Rugby National Championship playoffs that begin on November 8.
Bowdoin got on the scoreboard ten minutes into the contest as the forwards fed the ball out to Le'Shauna Phinazee who side-stepped defenders and broke a tackle to reach the goal area. Soon after, Addison Carvajal used her footwork to evade two defenders and found space inside, then outside, before touching the ball down near the posts. Randi London converted for a 12 - 0 lead. Middlebury mounted good attacks off lineouts and rucks but fine tackling from Cammie Ogden-Fung, Paige Pfannenstiel, Randi London, Tasha Yektayi, Sarah Wilson and Samantha Caras stymied their progress. Flyhalf Emily Athanas-Linden directed much of Bowdoin's offense throughout the match, including one play which saw Charlotte Kleiman find space through the defense to feed fullback Hayleigh Kein, who sprinted 25 meters for the try. Paige Pfannenstiel tackled and rucked well and scored two tries in the first half and added a third in the second half. With London converting a second try, the Polar Bears held a 29-0 advantage at halftime.
The Polar Bears held off a Middlebury attack to open the second half and Bowdoin responded by scoring five more times in the second half. Pfannenstiel, Kein and Carvajal each notched another try and London and Hoegle added one apiece. London converted two more for a final score of 58-0.
Bowdoin's B-side also clinched an undefeated season with a 24 - 0 win. Fine defensive plays came from Tasha Yektayi, Maddie Lemal-Brown, Kendall Schutzer, and Katie Craighill, who made a try-saving tackle late in the match. Scoring tries for Bowdoin were Lemal-Brown, Schutzer, Cristina Lima and Juliette Dankens. Lima and Schutzer each notched a conversion kick.
