Between last spring’s Upstate Tournament victory and the upcoming season, the team sidelined three key players due to injury and added a handful of new faces; the girls were looking at an uphill battle. After only three short weeks of practice, the team was set to open the season with its first match at the Dick Green Memorial Field in Albany against rival SUNY Oneonta. Last year’s match against Oneonta resulted in a close loss, so the girls were expecting some tough competition.

The game began shakily, with some lost rucks and a few missed tackles. However, once Oneonta scored on its try, the RPI women began to step it up. Sophomore Rebekah Newman was set up to score the first try for RPI off of the team’s infamous lineout play known as “Big Bertha.” As the game progressed, the girls began to set some solid rucks and display some amazing ball retention down the field.

In the second half of the game, senior Rebecca Mulder scored RPI’s second try with a breakaway through Oneonta’s defensive line. With only minutes left, the score was 12-12, and RPI was looking at settling for a tie. It was on the last penalty play awarded to RPI that sophomore Kate Cooke made the decision to kick for points, which put the team ahead by three. The game was called just seconds later, and the RPI women were ecstatic at their first season win.

Coach Andy McDonell was proud of his team, maintaining that his mantra, “Another possession, not another meter,” was their secret to success. Sophomore Laryssa Matvichuk did an amazing job playing scrumhalf for the first time. Senior captains Jessica Allen and Rebecca Mulder were thrilled to have such a great display of teamwork from both the veterans and rookies, several of whom had never even stepped foot on a rugby pitch before this weekend.