BURLINGTON, VT – Plymouth State University’s Women’s Rugby lost 17-0 in their first official game of the season against University of Vermont this past weekend. The Panthers brought nine new players and six returning players to UVM. Plymouth State had high hopes for the game after two wins against Wellesleyan University, and the University of Maine at Orono the weekend before at UMass Amherst’s annual tournament.
In the first half, both teams put up a determined fight to gain control of the ball. The Panthers played offensively from the start, keeping the ball in UVM’s side of the pitch during the first forty minutes with a close chance to scoring while holding back Vermont’s scrummie pack. By the end of the first half the scoreboard remained 0-0. Plymouth stayed optimistic for the second half of the game.
The Panthers met UVM on the pitch anxious to score. On the first attempt, Vermont struck their first blow on PSU. UVM found a soft spot in Plymouth’s newly formed scrummie defense and crashed past the Panthers with ease. Plymouth held off the UVM girls as best they could but proved to be unsuccessful as Vermont continued to score.
With a national championship game under their belts, the Panthers served their final kick still hoping to score. Plymouth kept UVM at bay until one crash from UVM’s biggest prop let UVM back into the Panthers territory
PSU fullback Kristin McNiff held the ball up for her team, but a penalty for the try was awarded to UVM bringing the final score to 17-0.
With only ten minutes left on the clock, the Panthers starting fifteen girls fought for the ball against the UVM substitutes. Despite the 17-0 loss, the Panthers remain confident in their team and hope to return to the National Championships later in the season.