Harvard Women Rise Above Dartmouth 39-5

The Dartmouth Women's Rugby Club came into this weekend’s match against Harvard with optimism but failed to shut down Harvard’s offense, resulting in a 39-5 score.

Two early tries by an aggressive Harvard side at the beginning of the first half set Dartmouth on its heels. The Big Green answered with several vertical attacks before sending the ball to its backline and a well-timed pass by Karoline Walter ’13 resulted in a try by Sabrina Amaro ’13. Well-placed kicks into touch by Michaela Conway ’15 on numerous penalties committed by Harvard gained territory for the Big Green, but Harvard’s low and aggressive rucking minimized the DWRC’s offensive opportunities while missed tackles by the DWRC allowed breaks for Harvard’s runners. In the second half, the Big Green came out with a stronger pattern of play, focusing on vertical attacks that were led by #8 Mayowa Willoughby ’14 and flanker Taylor Johnson ’14. Dartmouth’s pack demonstrated strength in the scrums and improved its rucking form throughout the match. Though the DWRC knocked on Harvard’s try-line several times in the second half, Dartmouth struggled to maintain possession and execute a final scoring phase of offense, remaining scoreless in the second half.

Referee: Anna McMahan

Scoring Summary

Harvard try, score 0-7
Harvard try, score 0-12
Dartmouth try by Sabrina Amaro ’13, score 5-12
Harvard try, score 5-17
Harvard try, score 5-22
Harvard try, score 5-27
Harvard try, score 5-34
Harvard try, score 5-39
Final: Harvard 39 – Dartmouth 5

Dartmouth First XV Squad
1. Allison Brouckman ‘15
2. Emma Vance ‘13
3. Jovalee Thompson ’14, replaced by Amanda Spoto ’14
4. Michaela Conway ‘15
5. Taylor Hummel ’14, replaced by Emily Reeves ’15
6. Taylor Johnson ‘14
7. Pallavi Kuppa-Apte ‘14
8. Mayowa Willoughby ’14
9. Sandi Caalim ’13
10. Karoline Walter ‘13
11. Rebecca Marder ’15
12. Maggie Conners ’13, replaced by Leandra Barrett ’15
13. Sabrina Amaro, ’13
14. Diana Wise ’15
15. Matt Sturm ’13, replaced by Charlotte Knott ’15

Dartmouth’s next match will be against Princeton this Saturday, October 20 at 11:00 am
in Princeton, NJ.