Written by RUGBYMag Staff    Monday, 07 November 2011 11:54    PDF Print Write e-mail
Another Shutout for Norwich Women
Colleges - Women's College

Norwich women posted the biggest win during the Northeast DII College quarterfinals this weekend, sending SUNY Binghamton home with a 78-0 loss.

A bevy of tries against Binghamton secures Norwich's #1 seed at NRUs.

Norwich has had to play very little defense this season, as has been the case in season’s past, but got excellent competition out of Stonehill College and Radcliffe, both of which are competing in different leagues this year. It’ll be interesting to see which teams at the final four will challenge the cadets.

That task will fall upon Bowdoin, which defeated SUNY Fredonia 29-19 on Saturday. Rutgers and Vassar face off in other NRU semifinal this Saturday, after defeating Coast Guard 43-14 and Rhode Island 30-22 respectively.

Joya Clark, who typically plays flyhalf, switched to inside center for this game, and proved an advantageous move. The sophomore ran in three tries, two of which occurred in the first five minutes, during the first half before distributing the ball more.

Lock Corinne McElroy match Clark’s try count. The junior is known more for her field awareness and defensive coverage, but she used Saturday to stretch her legs and take scoring opportunities when they presented themselves.

Wing Andrea Vogt added a brace of tries, while Hannah Bushey, Meghan Weppner, Jackie Derocher, Tiffany Ferrer and Rose Bernheim also contributed five-pointers. Flyhalf Emily Baugus added four conversions and a drop goal for 11 points on the day.

“I was very impressed with how we played today,” Norwich coach Austin Hall said.  “Binghamton was much better than the score shows.  We were patient in our play, but when shown the opportunity we attacked with passion.  I think that has been our strength all season: combining the depth of our foundation with the pure desire and creativity we bring on a day-to-day basis.  It’s going to be tough work this week, but we’re committed to our continued development.”

Norwich takes the number one seed to the Northeast Championships this weekend. NRU receives three seeds to nationals, so only one final four team will miss out on the big show come spring.