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.
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