The Massachusetts women’s club rugby team wrapped up its fall season with a dominant 29-5 win over URI on the University of Rhode Island rugby fields.
Looking to continue its upward momentum from its dominant 61-22 home win against Boston University on Oct. 13, UMass (2-3) scored on the final play of the game, ending its season on a high note.
Alexandra Glennon scored her lone try of the game when she downed the ball over the try line during the final seconds of play. Glennon secured the last five points for the Minutewomen after receiving the ball from a ruck set up near the line, propelled by her teammates.
UMass scored off another ruck formed near the try line earlier in the contest. Soon after URI opened the scoring, the Minutewomen found themselves in a similar position and capitalized on the opportunity.
Another ruck was set up close to the try line, allowing Malena Roper to open the scoring for UMass and bring the game level. Both teams, however, missed their respective conversion attempts, leaving the score tied at five a piece.
According to head coach Chris St. Onge, scoring from rucks is something the Minutewomen have been working towards over the course of the fall season and have repeatedly rehearsed the strategy in practice.
“We have a strategy … and we practice and practice it: get close to the sideline, someone latches on, we drive ourselves over and then down,” St. Onge said. “If we execute it right, it’s incredibly difficult to stop.”
Despite the Rams’ early opening score, UMass responded by carrying the ball over the try line five times without reply. Its top scorers were backs captain Emma Cullen, with three tries, and Roper with two.
Kicker Julia Fields successfully converted two out of six attempts between the posts for the Minutewomen. She faced challenges in consistently securing the additional two points each conversion offers.
With multiple A-side players unable to play for various reasons, a handful of B-side players were forced to step up during the match, playing an integral role in Saturday’s win.
“We did some good things and we got rewarded for it,” St. Onge said. “But we can be better. A win is a win and you always want to win, obviously compared to losing, but I always want them to be executing at a very high level because I think they are very capable of it.
Although the Minutewomen ended the season with two consecutive wins, they fell short of qualifying for the playoffs this year. They finished fourth in their division, with UConn and Northeastern at the top of the standings.
St. Onge attributed the team’s rebuilding phase to the departure of about 18 seniors last year, which led to an influx of new players stepping up this season. He hopes that from here, the team can continue to improve going into the spring season.
“For a first year out of the gate with a very young and inexperienced team I can live with that,” St. Onge said. “Then the idea is, ok we were fourth. The goal for next year is to overtake the third place and get to third place … then eventually we want to be at the top of the list.”
Emma Bensley can be reached at [email protected].Kate Endres can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X at @Kate_e_endres
