It could have been the heavy loss at the hands of Burlington last week, or coach Carl Morris’ Tuesday practice sprint session, or perhaps the reconfiguration of last Thursday’s training session into Social Practice—all of which represent viable possibilities. Whatever the catalyst, though, the women of Charles River brought an agenda to the pitch against Springfield. Sporting a deep lineup and a lot of fire, the Lady Rats went barnstorming—accruing fifty-three points at their home Moakley Park on Saturday.
The Rats had it going on. They brought an uncompromising defense for most of the game, meeting Springfield at the gain line with force. Utilizing a consistently aggressive style of play, excellent communication and a quickness that separates them from most opposing forwards, the Ratpack charged at Springfield early in the game and maintained pressure throughout the match. Veteran Prop Jehanne Junguenet shined defensively for River. Junguenet pressured the visiting Rifles all afternoon, squelching their offense by initiating a united Charles River defensive line that consistently stifled any semblance of Springfield momentum. Junguenet had several influential individual efforts on the day as well, helping hold possession for River with numerous rucks and tackles. She was the Captains’ choice for Forward of the Game. Chrissy “C” Andronico also had a noteworthy match at 8-man, where she commanded a fiercely united Ratpack. Andronico positioned the ball with precision in scrum play for scrumhalf Erin Gillespie, who transitioned the ball smoothly out to the backs.
On the strength of smooth 8-9-10 flow, the svelte Rat backs had a chance to excel. The orange and green outran their Rifle counterparts both in tight space and through open field. River broke for run after run, finally able to showcase their brilliant speed under favorable field conditions. Utilizing passes to the outside, the Charles River centers and wings combined for four tries in the first half. Rookie Rat Amanda Miller persistently baffled the Springfield defensive line. The Rifles were unable to stop the explosive Outside Center, who dashed continuously through them en route to her first two career Charles River tries. Miller represented the Backs for a Star of the Game selection. With able flyhalf and kicker Alex Schmidt converting four of River’s six first-half tries, the Lady Rats had erected themselves a towering 38-7 lead at the break.
The depth of the Charles River Women’s squad became evident late in the game, as they maintained their intensity level and dominance with a reconstructed lineup. Rookie Laura Will, normally a speedy alternate wing for the Lady Rats, made her fullback debut. Whitney McCoy also subbed in for the orange and green, bringing her excellent defensive focus into the pack. Charles River punched in three more tries before the closing whistle, collecting a total of fifty-three points on the afternoon. It had been a strong effort, rife with camaraderie and intensity, flowing with communication and near-effortless transition. Coach Carl Morris, who had reworked the River pre-game warmup to extract the energy that would drive his team over Springfield, spoke very positively of CRWRFC’s performance. He emphasized the demonstrable improvement River has made over the first half of the season, while citing other areas to focus on as well. He hopes to do some fine tuning on an increasingly stingy defense this week.
River’s B-side has rolled over its opponents this season, and Saturday made no exception. The ladies of the second match took it to Springfield again, driving in five scores and making two wins for the Lady Rats under the sun at Moakley. River rucked and ran all afternoon, punishing a dwindling roster of Rifles already subsidized with replacement Rats. Charles River Vet Colleen Shea made herself a ubiquitous field presence during the afternoon. Earlier, Shea had subbed into the A-side at scrumhalf; she kept the pressure on Springfield in B-side play, while also making the conversion attempts on the many tries of River’s second game.
As before, River’s speed was evident. Streaks of orange dashed up the sidelines and through the middle as the Rats utilized fluid ball movement and vision toward the open field. Julia Messing had an especially impressive run, covering nearly two-thirds of the pitch after a series of passes that circulated out to the wing. Rookie Diana Ekman had the opportunity to showcase her gazelle-like stride though open field, while former Holy cross star Molly Desmond transitioned the ball out through the back line with fluid precision. Desmond sparked passes to the inside and outside, creating a pivot point for much of the back line play on the afternoon. Her sure hands earned her the B-side Bitch of the Pitch award from River Captains Alicia Evangelista and Jenn “JVK” Van Kuren. In the Ratpack, newcomer Leigh Ricci had a strong game as well, making multiple tackles to contain the Rifle offensive. Ricci also made several punch runs to gain yards for the Rats, providing an assist to another win for CRWRFC.
With all of the thirty-five-plus roster seeing action in the orange jerseys this weekend, the River Women demonstrated a piquant unity that is the envy of their opposition. As a team consistently marked by heart and grit, CRWRFC is building itself into a formidable opponent with each technical improvement. The Rats looks to roll their momentum into Worcester this weekend, for a 10am match (B-side) and 12pm A-side start against the Shamrocks.
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