MEN'S RUGBY

NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Scrum Alums Dinner Friday night at the American Legion in Northfield kicked off Homecoming Weekend for the Norwich ruggers. A record number (77) of participants enjoyed an evening of camaraderie, speeches and legendary stories from the past.

Many thanks go out to Scrum Alum secretary George Bowne. The combination of his passion for Norwich Rugby, generosity and effort is admired and appreciated. All of the Scrum Alums continue to support both the men's and women's rugby programs.                                          

The Alumni match was highly anticipated by the rooks. They had been forewarned by the veterans that they would be in for a battle. The rooks were soundly defeated by the alums.  Five tries were scored in the first half. Ryan Scott '04, former team captain of the Sweet Sixteen team, placed down the first try. The next two tries were scored by '04 classmates Matt Vousboukis and Krista Barajas.

The next two tries came from Aaron Horwitz '97 and rook Corey Murphy '11. Corey, playing in his very first match, was helping to fill a void for the alumni squad. He also converted his own try.  He noted to Coach Weggler, "I played soccer, I can kick." The half ended, 22-0, Alumni.

In the second half the third fifteen showed signs of improvement. Unfortunately they could not convert their efforts into points.  Rosalia Toro '07 began the scoring of the half by putting one down in the corner. NU women's coach Austin Hall played for the Alumni squad in the second half and converted the last try by drop-kicking through the posts. The friendly match ended, 44-0, Alumni.

Before the Alumni game, the alums watched the Norwich women's rugby team defeat Vermont Law convincingly, 59-0. The day of camaraderie continued into the afternoon as the crowd stayed to see the first and second sides take on Brown. The first XV tied Brown 15-15 and the second XV lost 13-0. Norwich ends their preseason with a 1-1-1 record.

Norwich opens its regular season on Sunday, Sept. 16, against reigning Northeast Champion West Point. Kickoff time for the home match is slated for 11 am.