The RPI Women’s rugby team traveled to Batavia, NY this past weekend to defeat Colgate University and SUNY Geneseo. Their season record is now 7-0 overall, and 2-0 for the NYS playoffs.
Saturday’s game against Colgate resulted in another high scoring game when the RPI women defeated their opponents 47-0. Tries were scored by forward Erin Gulczynski and backs Danika Patrick, Yanthe Pearson, Rachel Bailey, Rebecca Lipp, and Laura Detmer. The RPI women used speed and agility to their advantage, evading their larger Colgate opponents to score try after try. The defensive abilities of the RPI team proved incredibly resilient, keeping the Colgate team at bay even as they were mere inches from RPI’s try zone. The Colgate team was forced to play rugby instead of soccer due to the amazing ball fielding skills of back Bethanne Laggy that kept their kicks from achieving anything substantial. Senior forward Jean Denniston stole several balls in line-outs from the Colgate put-in, helping RPI keep the pressure on.
Sunday’s game against SUNY Geneseo ended in another shutout, making RPI’s point record 305-0 for the entire season.
Forward Gulczynski was the first to score a try, the only one in the first half. In the second half, fly-half Lipp made an attempt to kick for points and made it, adding three more points to RPI’s tally. Rucks and mauls, both offensive and defensive, kept the Geneseo team from seeing much of their half of the field due to the valiant efforts of the RPI forwards.
Tries in the second half were scored by back Patrick, scrumhalf and co-captain Hillary Lindsay and back Pearson. After Pearson scored a try, fly-half Lipp attempted a converted kick after having difficulties with previous conversions due to the intense wind. The ball made it through, bouncing off the upright and earning RPI another two points. The game ended with RPI victorious, 25-0.
The RPI women will travel to Syracuse, NY this weekend to play SUNY Cortland for the Women’s Division II New York State Championship. RPI will also be playing in the Northeast Regionals the weekend of November 9 hosted at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
