March 1
Hamilton College @ Fisher Field 2:30pm (L-21-24)
A day that began with optimism and hope ended with disappointment, as Hamilton was able to edge out a victory against
Lafayette on the final play of the match. The defending New York state division 3 state champions, Hamilton College,
came into the match having let up seven points in their last ten matches. But the leopards were resilient and not about to
roll over to intimidation.
The day’s
action paralleled with the weather as changes from warm to freezing and from snowing to clear skies to yet even harder snowing
correlated with the unpredictability of the game’s momentum swings. Lafayette started the game off with a swift punch
to Hamilton’s mouth, scoring a try in the early stages of the game to go up (7-0). Eventually in a penalty saturated
first half Hamilton was able to get a try of their own, however they missed the two-point conversion and the score at halftime
was Lafayette 7 Hamilton 5.
The
second half was similar to the first only in the sense that it was plagued with knock ons, offside penalties, and forward
passes typical of a season opening game. The second half was played at a faster pace and was very physical, as both teams
got comfortable on the pitch again after such a long hiatus.
Hamilton was
the first to get on the board in the second half as, what would prove to be the theme of the game, all of Lafayette’s
penalties cost them a try. Hamilton made the kick and was now up (12-7). Faced with loosing for the first time in
the game Lafayette struck back with renewed vigor and with the help of two blistering runs by Anthony Finizio and Kyle DeFranceschi respectively, propelled Lafayette to a 21-12 lead.
At this point
in the game Lafayette began taking out their starters and gave their substitutes some very valuable pitch time. (very typical
of a spring league game) Hamilton also took out some of their starters as the spirit of the game was that of a friendly and
the main purpose of the game was not as much to win as to gain experience for the upcoming tournaments both sides wanted to
win.
Unfortunately for Lafayette and the small but at the
same time raucous fans in the seats Hamilton’s B side proved too much for Lafayette’s as the scored twice in the
last 10 minutes of the game to bring the final score to (24-21)
March 29
Reading Spring Classic 1:00pm (2nd place overall)
The Lafayette Side played with much intensity in this single
day, four game tournament. Their grit and determination proved too much for the likes of Lehigh and others. However, in
the final game, as the sun set, a lost scrum turned into a try that ended Lafayette's solid day. A second place trophy may
leave them somewhat satisfied but more likely will motivate them to dominate next weekend when they go to Philadelphia and
play in the Schuykill Invitational.
April 5
Schuykill Tournament @ Philadelphia, PA 10:00am (2nd place overall)
The first day at Schuykill was a good representation of the Lafayette's usual effort. They overcame Haverford and Villanova
B to advance to the second day of the tourney.
Day two started with more of the same, Temple B forfeit because of "injuries" but everyone knew the truth, they did not
want to wake up just to suffer defeat. The final game of the tournament was Lafayette v. UConn B. In the end UConn proved
just too much for the exhausted Lafayette side. They took home yet another 2nd place trophy.
April 26
Swarthmore College @ Swarthmore 1:00pm
On April 26th, 2008 the
Lafayette Men’s Rugby Team closed out a great spring season with a 44-12
victory over Swarthmore. The crushing win avenged a disappointing tie with the
Swarthmore squad this past fall and served as a satisfying end to the college
Rugby careers of seniors Matt Vanderwall, Pat Dwyer and Nii Odai Adjei.
After
playing all spring with an injury-depleted roster, the boys returned in full
strength to face Swarthmore on their home pitch. The Leopards took it to the
Phoenixes early with superb tackling and kicking in the first half. Outstanding
play by Sophomore Estui Diaz at fullback and Odai Adjei at flanker sparked the
squad’s offensive output during the first forty minutes. In the second half,
Dwyer dominated the game at inside center, tackling beautifully and scoring on
a brilliant, slashing thirty meter run. Lafayette’s bench played admirably in
relief of the starters, and throughout the match Vanderwall provided reliable
kicking despite windy conditions.
The
one-sided match boded well for the Men’s Squad next fall, which hopes to
continue their solid play despite losing three valuable Seniors.-Ross Tilchin
Alumni Game- 3rd of May 1:00pm
TBD
