River takes on Amoskeag
On April 28, the Rats rode to a Pembroke, New Hampshire pitch with chilled, whipping winds. Charles River took the field well-organized and aggressive, controlling rucks early and pressuring Amoskeag’s back line unhesitatingly. After a multi-phase drive, Anne “Wales” Beaumont got the scoring started for the Lady Rats, pulling down a try as she sprawled over the Amoskeag line. On the backs of an unrelenting Rat Pack, River easily captured the match. Jordan Ciciliano, coming off of an impressive match at Worcester, again led the way by outperforming the opposition. Nina Rόma Agvanian, getting the start at prop, shined in rucks and tackles. Linda Morris was fantastic in the lineouts, and Lisa Natalicchio in the scrums, both stealing several possessions from Amoskeag. Despite the unwieldy weather conditions, River was well-equipped to capitalize on opportunities.
The River backs played stodgy defense, pinning Amoskeag to losses on carries. Flyhalf Alex Schmidt called a brilliant game, alternately exploiting gaps and spinning the ball out wide for Diana Ekman and Jehanne Junguenet, making her wing debut. Rookie Alicia Scahill played well at wing in the second half, containing Amoskeag on the outside. Scrumhalf Erin Gillespie transitioned the ball fluidly for Charles River and, all told, Amoskeag had little to counter the rolling Rats as they had gathered momentum. The match saw scores from 5 different Rats, and several “full team” tries had passed from River forwards to backs. The Charles River captains honored Nina Rόma Agvanian (prop) and Alex Schmidt (flyhalf) as MVPs of the match for the Lady Rats. Amoskeag recognized Sarah “Bee” Wetherbee (outside center) as their pick for MVP from Charles River.
Final Score 39-0