W. Rugby ends season with heartbreaking loss

For most of the game on Sat., Nov. 4, the Yale women's rugby team held a 7-5 lead over Vassar, the number-one team in New York. But with no time remaining on the clock, the referee made a questionable off-sides penalty call, giving Vassar a three-point kick. The Brewers converted the kick and captured the win, 8-7, a final sour twist on an otherwise sweet season for the Bulldogs. "It was the most heartbreaking moment of my athletic career," Emily Lehrer, SM '03, said.

COURTESY YALE WOMEN'S RUGBY The womens' rugby team scrum battling against Dartmouth.

Despite the disappointment of the final defeat, the team considered its improbable run to be an unquestionable success. In the shadow of Yale's varsity programs, the feisty women's rugby team grappled with a lack of funding, inexperience, and injuries to make the division playoffs and finish their season ranked third in New England.

The Bulldogs entered this season in a wave of uncertainty. With 10 players graduating, the team needed not only to regroup on the field but also to uphold the organization that keeps the team functional. Because it received only $1,000 from Yale and did not obtain training resources or transportation, the squad also functioned, in the words of Lehrer, as a "regional governing body" that raised money, washed clothes, arranged for buses, and managed the equipment.

According to the team, however, the story of this season is not in the details of bus travel, but on the dedication and athleticism exhibited on the field. That process started with the stellar play and steady leadership of captains Elizabeth Halsey, MC '01, and Regina Fitzpatrick, BR '01.

While Fitzpatrick led the defense with her excellent kicking ability, the offense was helped by the strong play of Brooke Rosonke, BK '02, Miriam Seifter, JE '03, and the rookies, including Lauren Mutti, JE '04, who added enormous strength on the scrum (the pack of forwards). The youth of the team, thought to be a hindrance early in the year, will serve as a good nucleus for the future.

In addition to the talent that helped win games, the squad boasted an ever-increasing amount of teamwork and intelligent play. During their first tournament, the women struggled, lacking chemistry and focus on the field, as the new mix of players had trouble adjusting to each other's style of play. However, the Elis channeled this early frustration into a commitment to fine-tuning their game. "The new combinations of players forced us to adjust," Lehrer said. "We improved our thinking about the game as the year progressed, and now we understand in-game situations much better."

The women are trying to forget the Vassar loss by focusing on the future and the positive team spirit they fought hard to develop this season. "It was not always convenient to go to practice in the dark, cold weather and subject yourself to being tackled," Seifter said. "But afterwards we would always have a team dinner and laugh about it."

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