Charles River Rifles Past Game Two

The ladies of Charles River rolled out their second consecutive win to open the fall 2010 season when they traveled to Springfield this past weekend. A burgeoning squad of Lady Rats displayed a mix of tenacity, talent, and cohesion across the roster and through both halves, overmatching a feisty Rifle squad. River, by the final whistle, had collected 41 points to Springfield’s fourteen. With the win, the orange and green crossed the century mark in points after only two games, outscoring their opponents 104-14.

Though disorganized in the initial minutes of the match, River settled in, drawing Springfield into their style of play as they coalesced into an aggressive, united front. Led by a strong series of possessions from the forwards, the Rats pushed into the Springfield try zone early. The Rifles held the ball up, but the possession led to a score from the resultant 5-meter scrum. The Rat Pack pushed Springfield back as scrumhalf Erin Gillespie collected the ball for River, transitioning out to flyhalf Rachel Gaines. Gaines began the chain of quick passes and advances through the River back line, through centers Amanda Martin and Molly Desmond, and ending with perennial try-accelerator Katy Wilks, who sped through the Springfield defense for the game’s first score. Fullback Alex Schmidt, beginning a dazzling Saturday afternoon performance, made her first conversion, and River took a lead that they would never relinquish.

Girders of cohesive play formed the foundation for the Rats’ second win; forwards ferociously guarded ball possession, while backs hit the Springfield defensive line hard despite the relentless tackling style of a strong Rifle team. Kara McAuliffe and Chrissy “C” Andronico maintained excellent ball pressure coming from the second row and 8-man spots, respectively. River props Jehanne Junguenet and Captain Alicia Evangelista, along with Hooker Lisa Natalicchio, led a rucking game that rarely wavered. Resultantly, River’s second try came when the Lady Rats outrucked the Rifles, stealing possession. Schmidt, coming from fullback, received the ball, slicing through the Springfield defense to touch down the try. River’s third score also came on the strength of a stalwart Ratpack, flanked by the feisty Jess Ingram-Bee and merciless tackler Amanda Bernasconi. From loose play, veteran #8 Andronico broke for a strong gain, before dishing the ball to slippery wing Julia Messing. Over open ground, Messing unleashed her trademark speed, which slowed only as she was pushed out of bound ten meters from the try line. Hooker Natalicchio scooped the ball back for the Rats on the consequent Springfield scrum. The second stolen possession of the series (and one of many orchestrated by Natalicchio on the afternoon), resulted in a pick-up and then a maul, which River pushed all the way to the Springfield try zone. Chrissy “C” Andronico did the honors for the Rats, touching the ball down after an impressive possession set from the Ratpack.

Springfield would answer once in the first half when their fleet-footed #14 found open ground to the outside. The Rifle wing broke loose, leaving half of the field in her wake. Springfield converted, bringing their tally to seven. They would nearly capitalize twice on the same play, when again their breakneck #14 cut loose around a defensive line of orange jerseys. Her speed was to be matched by River wing Katy Wilks, however, who retreated back, crossing much of the field to catch the opposing wing and thwart the breakaway attempt. Charles River recaptured the momentum, though, when hard-running inside center Amanda Martin cut through the Springfield defense on a nice transition through the back line from scrumhalf Erin Gillespie. At the half, the Rats had touched down four tries to Springfield’s one.

The Rifles came out firing in the second half, pressuring Charles River initially. They touched down their second try early in the half, bringing their tally to fourteen with the conversion. The Rats united almost immediately. Fullback Alex Schmidt’s sure foot sent the Rifles back into their own end to collect the ball multiple times, as a resurgent River again disrupted the balance of power. Flanker Amanda Bernasconi, coming hard off a scrum, stripped the ball from a stunned Rifle forward. In support, pack Rat Flanker Whitney McCoy and lock Anne “Wales” Beaumont began a maul, from which River freed the ball out to the back line. Center Maegan Hoover exploited a hole in the Springfield defensive, before rolling the ball out to conflagrant wing Julia Messing. Messing tore around the outside, punching in River’s fifth score.

Natalicchio, McCoy and Junguenet showcased mathematical possession maintenance for the Rats, and from it, River flourished. As the orange offensive rolled through Springfield territory, it was strong Flank Amanda Bernasconi who would power the ball through pressure deep in the opponents’ zone. Bernasconi touched down her first try of the season, River’s sixth of the match. River closed the afternoon’s scoring when Evangelista made a short push from a support run, after a power gain from Andronico. Showcasing their abyssal depth of talent, River collected seven tries by the final whistle, each from a different member of the squad, and all balanced evenly between forwards and backs. With scores from Wilks, Schmidt, Andronico, Martin, Messing, Bernasconi, and Evangelista, topped with a triple-conversion effort from Schmidt, River had accrued a 41-14 victory while bringing their season record to 2-0. Schmidt and Natalicchio won Player of the Game accolades for their respective efforts at back and forward. Andronico captured Springfield’s nod, having made her presence felt throughout breakdown play during the match.

A brief B-side bout highlighted the talents of River’s newcomers. Leigh Wilson made several noteworthy carries for Charles River late in A-side play and well into River’s abbreviated second match. Rugby neophyte Maggie Mink, on the wing, showed a keen intuition for the game, making multiple carries and possession transitions to teammates in traffic. Lane Standige, whose impressive speed has become apparent early in the season, tried a hand at #8 while River shuffled around a bountiful roster. After replacing Gillespie at scrum half, Colleen Shea scored River’s lone try after Natalicchio, switching from lifter to liftee, stole a Springfield line out. The fledgling second row pairing of Junguenet and Martin provided ruck and run support, while Standige pressured Springfield steadily from the back of the pack. All told, Shea’s try captured a 5-5 tie for Charles River, who left Springfield having scored a combined 46 points on the afternoon.

Charles River looks forward to traveling to battle union rival North Shore this upcoming Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 10:00AM.

Rats Start Off Fall Hungry

If the ladies of Charles River were looking merely to set a tone for the fall this

past weekend at their season opener, they instead rapped a reverberating rugby gong

over Moakley Park. Amidst a picturesque scene beside South Boston’s Carson beach,

the Rats hosted a newly-formed Amoskeag team, welcoming the visitors into the New

England Rugby Football Union with a sound 63-0 defeat in their inaugural match. River

boasted a slew of talent and a roster of depth, easily overpowering their opponents while

utilizing all available subs and still loaning some players to round out the visiting squad.

Tries were plentiful in both halves for Charles River. Starting Wingers Katy Wilks

and Julia Messing led the scoring, tallying three tries and two tries, respectively, all in the

first half. Center Maegan Hoover touched down two tries in the first half as well. With

Fullback Alex Schmidt converting four kicks, River had amassed a 43-0 lead by the

referee’s halftime whistle. The plentiful River tries came on the strength of a

phenomenal pack performance up front. River dominated possession, rucking

consistently over Amoskeag throughout the game. The green and orange bulldozed

Amoskeag in scrum play, stealing six possessions in the first half alone. Messing’s first

try stemmed from an Amoskeag put-in captured by River, as did Hoover’s. The ever-

technically spectacular front row trio of Alicia Evangelista, Lisa Natalicchio, and

Jehanne Junguenet set an impossible standard for Amoskeag to match. Powerhouse

locks Anne Beaumont and Kara McAuliffe helped drive the Rat Pack consistently over

Amoskeag, while flankers Whitney McCoy and Amanda Bernasconi pressured

Amoskeag without hesitation.

Bernasconi, flanking the pack, played an impressive match for the Lady Rats.

Bernasconi flew off the scrums all morning, bringing with her an aggressive tackling style

that knocked several Amoskeag carries loose. Bernasconi was recognized later by

captains Evangelista and Jenn Van Kuren as the Forward of the Game. Her tackles

infectiously energized an accelerating Rat Pack into a series of mercilessly hard hits.

Vet lock McAuliffe also knocked several balls out of Amoskeag’s stunned hands in the

first half, as did Chrissy “C” Andronico, coming from the 8-man spot. Combining power

and finesse, the River forwards displayed precise vision and flow, passing and running

through Amoskeag territory with ease. Junguenet and Evangelista connected several

times on short passes, and Andronico showcased an agility and speed finely tuned over

the off-season. With ball carriers tackled, the River forwards fluidly maintained

possession with nearly instantaneously-formed rucks. They maintained possession with

little challenge from Amoskeag.

River’s transition game through the halfbacks shined all morning. Scrumhalf Erin

Gillespie dug the ball out of scrum play with ease as Andronico communicated with and

held the pack. Gillespie’s sure hands coupled with the well-greased pivot point created

by flyhalf Rachel Gaines’ noteworthy play. Gaines read the Amoskeag defense

throughout the match, both calling and facilitating the back line plays that would lead to many River tries. Gaines earned a Bitch of the Pitch nod for the River backs as she

orchestrated the aqueous transition across the line. For their part, the River backs

played Gaines’ calls to the note. Centers Amanda Martin and Maegan Hoover read the

field extremely well, alternately punching through openings in the Amoskeag defense

and dishing the ball down the line to Schmidt at fullback and out to explosive wings Wilks

and Messing.

In the second half, River showcased a deep and talented roster. Lori White and

Jess Ingram-Bee flanked the pack, continuing the swift running and rucking play of their

predecessors. Quick transition, led by scrumhalf Colleen Shea, led to an inaugural

Charles River try from rookie Rat Leigh Wilson at Center. Wilson made several gains for

River throughout the second half, pairing with Molly Desmond to create a strong, sure-

handed middle to the back line. Desmond and Wilson connected throughout the second

half, leading to several instances of forward progress for River as well as to Wilson’s try.

Andronico, too, made her presence felt in the second half. She touched down

two tries, one after Desmond plucked a loose ball from the air before threading the ball

through the River back line. In a clinic-type demonstration of support running, Andronico

followed, receiving the ball from a teammate in traffic and powering over the remaining

distance to the Amoskeag try line. Andronico’s second try, River’s last, came on the

strength of a pass from rookie Maggie Mink, playing in her inaugural match. Mink and

Andronico connected for two passes before Andronico broke up the left sideline for the

score. Between Andronico’s two scores, rookie wing Lane Standige broke on a long

run for her first try with River after a series of punishing tackles from the Rat pack. Jess

Ingram-Bee and Kara McAuliffe both knocked balls loose from Amoskeag, resulting in

River recoveries. Steph Wooler, subbing at flyhalf, rolled the ball out for Desmond and

Wilson. After Wilson sliced deftly through the Amoskeag defensive line, she dished the

ball to Junguenet waiting in forward support, who then saw Standige on the outside, who then took the ball into the try zone. The Rats finished the match with astaggering sixty-three points.

Afterwards, the Chuck River ladies hosted Amoskeag at Charlestown’s Tavern

on the Water for a sunny afternoon of socializing on Boston Harbor. Maegan Hoover,

who played well on both sides after loaning herself to a shorthanded Amoskeag, was

recognized by the visitors for playing alternately to their detriment, and then to their

advantage. Bernasconi and Gaines earned Player of the Game nods from their own

captains. The Lady Rats would like to thank all the fans that came to share their first

victory at Moakley, and Amoskeag for coming out to play and wish them good luck in the rest of their season.

River will travel to Springfield this Saturday, September 18th to challenge the Rifles in their second union match.