The Charles River Women’s Rugby Football Club has hired Jessica Balogh as the head coach for the fall 2011 season. Balogh joins River after returning from the west coast, having spent her club years with the Seattle Breakers after attending Bowdoin College in Maine. Balogh brings twelve years of playing experience and several years of coaching experience to the Lady Rats. She has seen early success with the green and orange, leading River to an undefeated start to the season.
Charles River grabbed their first on-field win and second overall victory after defeating the Springfield Rifles 25-12 last Saturday, September 17th. Their first scheduled match resulted in a forfeit in River’s favor, after the Middlesex Barbarians failed to round out a full roster for the game. River gained a technical 7-0 victory, but lost the opportunity to win a try bonus from their first opponents.
The Lady Rats exploded over the Rifles early in their second match, well-prepared for a Springfield squad that has given them trouble in the past. Pace was set early by a speedy Rat squad looking to capitalize on an uneven Springfield back line. With newly-minted scrumhalf Susan Lackey directing play, the Ratpack pushed unrelentingly at Springfield in the early minutes. Rat veterans Jehanne “Juggs” Junguenet and Chrissy “C” Andronico rucked with force throughout the game, but were particularly sharp in the first half as they helped River maintain the bulk of possession time. River maintained 26 of 30 rucks in the first half, while stealing the ball 6 times from Springfield. By the 17-minute mark, the Rats had punched two tries, one from commanding Flyhalf Alex Schmidt on a burst inside 10 meters, and the second from power-running Inside Center Amanda Martin.
Merciless Flankers Kara McAuliffe and Danielle “Dollar” McDonagh pounded the Springfield forwards through the middle. The Rifles tried to cycle the ball out, but the Charles River back line stymied nearly every attempt to punch through. The speedy wings of Springfield were unable to capitalize on several opportunities, as River’s defense continued to look sharp deep into the first half. Rat wings Julia Messing and Molly Desmond shut down the Rifles on the outside.
Susan Lackey continued to impress, playing an aggressive style at Scrumhalf that her Rifle counterpart was unable to match. She orchestrated a clean transition for Flyhalf Alex Schmidt, who called plays alertly through the game. River had punched in two more tries by minute 35, with Fullback Katy Wilks turning the corner on one, and Outside Center Sarah “Bee” Wetherbee cutting through the line on a sharp rub for the other.
The Ratpack was outstanding in scrum play all game, powered by Second Rows Anne “Wales” Beaumont and Sabrina Neuman. The sure foot of Captain Lisa “Natty” Natalicchio at Hooker retained every River put-in on the afternoon, stealing one from Springfield in the process. 8-man Lane Standige was tremendous in lineouts, stealing 7 Springfield lineouts in the first half and two in the second when lifted.
River took a commanding 25-0 lead early in the second half on a try by Flanker Kara McAuliffe. Production and play slowed, though, for River late in the game. The Rats appeared to have relaxed on the 5-try lead, and Springfield gathered some momentum late in the game. On the strength of a slew of Charles River penalties, the Rifles charged down the field, gathering an 8-man pushover try at the middle of the field at 71:00 minutes. A tiring River squad let up just before the end of the match, allowing Springfield a final try at 79:00. Despite the late lethargy, there were bright spots for the Rats, including a sharp late-game performance by Cassie Cox, returning from a lengthy knee injury. Cox subbed in at Outside Center and looked to have not missed a beat in her time off. Other highlights include an inaugural performance from rookie Julie Trautwein, joining the squad from Holy Cross RFC. River had built itself enough of a lead to win the game comfortably, 25-12, despite a late letdown.
The Lady Rats gratefully accepted the first active win, celebrating a 2-0 start to the young season. The green and orange would like to thank Springfield for traveling to meet them, as always. They would also like to thank the fans that came to support the squad in their first match, and Stadium Bar & Grill of Old Colony Ave in South Boston for hosting a wonderful social. http://stadiumbars.com/boston/ The Rats would also like to congratulate their stars of the game, Susan Lackey at scrumhalf, Kara McAuliffe at Flanker, and Springfield’s pick, Chrissy “C” Andronico at prop.
