Sports

Men’s rugby fights hard against strong Plattsburgh team

By Robert Berk ’20

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This past Saturday, men’s rugby tried to avenge their loss in the conference finals last year to SUNY Plattsburgh. The 25-11 loss was the Continentals’ only one of the season.
The team won their first game of the season two weeks ago, beating St. Lawrence with the score 12-10. Nick Pace ’19 and Alex Hollister ’16 scored the two tries, and Pace earned Man of the Match.
The Continentals had a great week of practice between the games. Unfortunately, several players had to deal with minor injuries. However, the team was in good spirits and full of energy going into their toughest match of the season. SUNY Plattsburgh not only won the conference, but also went on to finish third in the nation. Not only is the Plattsburgh’s best player individually ranked, but the team is full of players who are two hundred pounds and over six feet tall.
The game got off to a very quick start. Plattsburgh passed the ball around very quickly. As soon as they would get possession of the ball they would throw it back to their full back who would run up the middle and then pitch it to a wing player. Plattsburgh started the game fast and picked up momentum through the whole first half. The score at the half was 36-0.
During the halftime break, head coach Jon Capelin gave an inspiring speech. He implored the team to continue to fight, play with passion and enjoy themselves on the field. He told them to not worry about the score, but to just focus on this upcoming half.
The speech absolutely worked. Hamilton picked up their physicality and defense. Ten minutes into the half no one had scored. The Continentals had even turned the momentum around. 15 minutes into the half they had their best scoring chance yet. After winning a line throw they quickly passed the ball all the way to the other side of the pitch. Following a quick dash down the sideline there was an offensive scrum for Hamilton. The ball took a bad bounce and Plattsburgh won the ball back. It was the only offensive scrum that Hamilton lost all game. They won the other six chances they had.
Immediately, Plattsburgh capitalized on the bad bounce. They quickly pushed the ball up the field. Hamilton dug their feet in. There were several huge hits that frustrated the Plattsburgh players. After several attempts Plattsburgh finally got the ball out wide. They were about to score when Ryan Wall ’19 made a forceful tackle that knocked the ball loose. The Continentals pounced on the ball and started a drive up the field.
Hamilton moved the ball up the field slowly and methodically. With roughly three minutes left in the game they made a great push. After several passes on the inside they pitched it to the far wing. Chris “Melo” Albino ’20 dashed up the side. He made a couple of very nice moves, but was eventually tripped up by a diving effort from a Plattsburgh player. The excitement during that run was palpable. The Continentals continued to move the ball down the field until time expired.
While the game ended with a rather lopsided score, 43-0, the team was not in poor spirits when the final whistle blew. It really was a game that felt much closer than the score. It was very obvious that the team improved in the second half. Hamilton had nine penalties and 11 turnovers in the first half, but only had one penalty and five turnovers in the second. After the game Captain Noam Barnhard ’18 said, “We suffered some recent injuries that required some last minute adjustments but, all things considered, we demonstrated the grit that has come to define the men’s rugby team.” As almost every player grabbed a bag or two of ice they all smiled. It was clear that they knew how good of a half they played.
If the team is able to play with the same passion as they did in the second half, it should be an exciting fall out on Minor Field. Barnhard shared this enthusiasm: “I’m really proud of all my boys, and I’m looking forward to improving as the season goes on.” With their biggest test behind them, the Continentals are aspiring to win all four remaining matches. Make sure to watch and show support on Saturday, Oct. 1 when they take on Paul Smith’s College.

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