Women’s Rugby advances with win over Bates

The Plymouth State women’s rugby team kept their season alive last weekend at the Recreational Field, splitting a pair of games in the NRU D2 playoffs to advance to the D2 Regionals. Four teams came to Plymouth State looking to advance, with Plymouth defeating Bates 29-5 to clinch second place and a trip to next week’s event at UMass-Amherst. The hosts fought Northeastern the following day for the top spot, but fell 12-0 to settle for the number-two position heading into the next round of playoff action. Saturday’s opening game against Bates started out tough, putting Plymouth on their heels early. The hosts fought back with a combination of hard hits and speed, and soon began to pull away. Adrienne “Ace” Acosta drew first blood with a try, then Plymouth teamed up to overwhelm Bates, driving together into the try zone to bolster their lead. Andrea Clark then got a break away and made a pass to Hillary Scheer, putting another five points on the board. Scheer finished off her own try conversion on a kick, giving Plymouth a 17-0 lead at the half. The hosts kept the scoring coming in the second half. Ashley “Jack” Daniels add to Plymouth’s lead with her first try of the season, then Jenny Larochelle sprinted into the try zone on a pass off the ruck, with Beth Metts converting the kick to make it 29-0. Bates managed to slip through the hosts’ defense for their first try of the game, but it was as close as they would get, sealing Plymouth’s victory and automatic Regionals bid. Already looking ahead to next week, Plymouth turned to B-side players for its game the following day against Northeastern. The game was uneventful in the first half, but Northeastern came out the stronger in the second half, scoring twice and picking up a conversion kick to shut out the hosts and clinch the top position. The loss did little to Plymouth’s spirits, as they still advance while giving several first-year players an opportunity to prove their potential as the core of future teams. Plymouth State will travel to UMass-Amherst next weekend for the D2 Regionals, where they have placed second the past two seasons. The top two teams will earn the right to travel to Florida for the Nationals, which will be held in the Spring.