Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Minutemen suffer tough loss despite win over UConn

The Massachusetts men’s club rugby team ended its fall season with a 24-10 victory against Connecticut on Saturday in the middle of a snowstorm. Despite the success, the Minutemen were in no mood to celebrate as the match ended mid-way through the second half after David Curran went down with a severe ankle injury.

Curran had possession of the ball shortly after UConn (1-5) converted on a try to cut into UMass’ sizable lead, but his drive down the field was stopped short because of the poor footing in the snow, and the aggressive style of play got the best of him.

UMass (3-3) coach Anthony Neverson reported that Curran suffered a broken tibia, dislocated his ankle and had some ligament damage as well. Although Curran is expected to be fine, Neverson fears the injury has the potential to affect him down the road as he continues his playing career.

“[Curran] was driving the ball hard, but lost his footing and took a tough hit,” said Neverson. “I pray this isn’t something that puts an end to his physical playing career, but what can you do without an ankle?”

With the snow coming down hard in Amherst and temperatures not designed for shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, the weather made for unfamiliar playing conditions for both teams. The frustration of playing in such difficult conditions became apparent on both sides as pushing and shoving after the whistles turned into a bad habit for both teams in the second half. Combine the chippy play with a cold and snowy pitch and it became a situation that Neverson believes only increased the chances of an injury such as Curran’s to take place.

“Although [Curran’s injury] could happen on dry ground as well, [the snow] was a contributing factor,” said Neverson. “Certainly having this on the foot does not make for the best conditions for rugby.”

UMass began the match off to a slow start as a lack of discipline from the young Minutemen led to poor ball control and a yellow card that put the Huskies on an advantage. UConn would turn that advantage into points, striking first in the match with a 5-0 lead.

The Minutemen responded quickly as freshman Todd Theodat scored on their next possession. With the two-point conversion going through the uprights, UMass took a 7-5 lead.

As the snow started to fall and the temperature started to drop, the Minutemen would heat up, adding another seven points late in the first half for a 14-5 halftime advantage. They didn’t stop there though as two quick scores in their first two possessions of the second half extended the UMass lead to 24-5.

The Huskies would add another try, but it was too little too late as the Minutemen would hold on until the final whistle was blown in the middle of the second half, giving them the win to end the fall season at 3-3.

After losing three-straight following a win in its opening game, UMass ended the fall season on a two-game winning streak, but were in no mood to celebrate. Silence overcame the entire team as the ambulance came out to the pitch to tend to Curran’s injury.

“It’s times like these where I curse the game,” said Neverson. “Fortunately, it wasn’t something catastrophic like a neck injury. Injuries like that are very few and far between. Even saying that, I hate to have to see something like this happen to one of my boys.”

Nick Canelas can be reached at ncanelas.student.umass.edu and followed on Twitter @MDC_Canelas.

 

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