The Saratoga Mustangs Girls Super A's 
knew they had something to prove after last week's heartbreaking 7 point loss ended their undefeated streak. The girls from Essex, VT were looking for the same outcome as Saratoga: a victory that would lock up the second seed in Vermont Youth Rugby Association play and home field advantage in the playoffs. Both teams boasted offenses that could put points on the board and a stingy defense. Saratoga currently leads the league in point differential with a +84 (115 points for, 31 points against), and were looking to get back to scoring tries in bunches as they had all season. In a see-saw battle which saw four lead changes, it was the gritty and determined play of Mustangs girls that was the difference in the end. When the final whistle blew, Saratoga came away with a thrilling 17-14 victory over an Essex team who have aspirations for a national championship. The Mustangs Girls will now host either Essex or Rutland on Wednesday, May 28th at home in the first round of the VYRA Championships. The Super A's improved to 5-1 on the season, trailing only 3-0 Adirondack in league play.
The game began in predictable fashion. Saratoga, known for their tough and powerful pack, were easily seen as they bigger of the two teams and the word on Essex was that they had a fleet footed line that boasted an all-star inside center who was quick and deceptive. They distributed the ball and forced overloads, after running the opposition ragged trying to keep up, and then would out sprint them to the try line for a score. Each team tried to establish its own game plan right off of the initial kick, which saw Saratoga retain possession in most rucks and mauls and pound the ball off of the right and left of the pile with its bigger forwards, including senior captain, prop Jessica Sears (Burnt Hills), junior prop Tiffany Neach (Burnt Hills), and the lock tandem of junior Marianna Carta (Burnt Hills) and senior Shelby Snyder (Scotia-Glenville), and eight man Eva Meier (Ballston Spa). The Mustangs played ball control offense which pushed play down into Essex territory, despite some solid kicks from the Essex line that sent freshman fullback Khirstian Carbonello (Burnt Hills) flying all over the field as they tried to gain position away from the "tackling swarm" of Saratoga.
Eventually, it was Meier who was able to pound the ball in for a score, and with Carbonello's conversion, the Mustangs jumped out to a 7-0 lead. After the ensuing kickoff, Saratoga worked its way back down the field again. In slow and patient fashion, and with the kicks of sophomore center Joya Clark (Scotia-Glenville), the Mustangs soon found themselves knocking at the door again. After a line out at Essex's five meter line, the girls from Essex passed the ball into their own try zone and put it down. Normally this would set up a prime scoring opportunity with a scum to Saratoga at the five meter line, a place where Meier has feasted on the opposition from her position as eight man, but the referee errantly called it a touch back, resulting in a 22 meter drop out. With the Mustangs coaches calling in plays for the apparent scrum, a center from Essex sprinted up to the try line and drop kicked the ball a few feet before scooping it up and taking off. She was able to out maneuver fullback Carbonello, who was more shallow than usual expecting a scrum to Saratoga, and race down the sideline for a score. The converted kick left Saratoga bewildered and now tied 7-7.
The try breathed new life into Essex and the see-saw battle began. Each time tried to reestablish itself as the half began to wind down, but neither team was able to put points on the board. When Saratoga did manage to punch into Essex's try zone, Essex proved itself adept and not letting the ball touch the ground, which negates a score (unlike football, in rugby the ball must cross the line AND touch the ground under control) and allowed them to send a booming kick out of their own zone. In the final few minutes, Saratoga again pushed their way into Essex's end. Crashing the ball with its powerful forwards, senior scrum-half Emily Wexler (Burnt Hills) burst through and put the ball down. Almost immediately, an Essex girls scooped up the ball. The ref signaled that ball had been held up or stripped, so no score was awarded. This ended the half. Coach Mody protested the call, vehemently, and the ref decided to consult with the nearest touch judge, a sort of secondary official whose primary job is to mark when the ball is put out of play. Upon review, the touch judge agreed that the ball had been placed before it was scooped, and Saratoga was awarded the try. When Carbonello's kick sailed wide left, Saratoga clung to a 12-7 lead.
The second half began with the same fierce running and tackling by both teams. For Saratoga, the effects of a prom the night before began to show as, combined with the heat of the day, the pace began to slow and Essex was able to hold its own in rucks and maul, even pressuring Wexler in several key areas which through the offense out of sync. Eventually, it was an overload by Essex that took advantage of Saratoga's over aggressive line and caught them on the outside with too few players to defend. Essex streaked down the field and scored, converting the following kick to claim a 14-12 lead.
The ensuing kickoff resulted in continued back and forth play. Each team was able to capitalize on the opposition's weaknesses to gain advantageous field position, but were unable to convert any points. Saratoga regrouped off of a penalty at the mid field, and decided to pound the ball using its forwards. This strategy again worked as they found themselves deep in Essex territory and the second half wore on. Each time Saratoga would pound the ball into the try zone, however, Essex held it up, negating a score. They were able to do this three times in a row until the ball was scooped off the back of a ruck by stiff arm throwing Jess Sears who willed herself into the try zone for the score. The crowd went wild as Saratoga reclaimed the lead. When Carbonello's kick sailed wide right, Saratoga found itself holding on to a slim 17-14 lead. Essex came after Saratoga on the following kickoff with renewed vigor, pulling out all the stops and playing an extremely aggressive defense in order to put as much pressure on the Mustangs as possible to force turnovers and increase their chances to score. The strategy worked for the most part, allowing Essex to keep the ball deep in Saratog's end of the field. But at that moment, with only two minutes to play, Saratoga's defense stiffened, and player after player from Essex was turned away. Eventually, Saratoga regained possession and booted the ball out of bounds, ending regulation time and snatching a victory in a hard fought contest. Senior Captain Jessica Sears, who had scored the game winning try was awarded Rugger of the Match by the coaching staff.
knew they had something to prove after last week's heartbreaking 7 point loss ended their undefeated streak. The girls from Essex, VT were looking for the same outcome as Saratoga: a victory that would lock up the second seed in Vermont Youth Rugby Association play and home field advantage in the playoffs. Both teams boasted offenses that could put points on the board and a stingy defense. Saratoga currently leads the league in point differential with a +84 (115 points for, 31 points against), and were looking to get back to scoring tries in bunches as they had all season. In a see-saw battle which saw four lead changes, it was the gritty and determined play of Mustangs girls that was the difference in the end. When the final whistle blew, Saratoga came away with a thrilling 17-14 victory over an Essex team who have aspirations for a national championship. The Mustangs Girls will now host either Essex or Rutland on Wednesday, May 28th at home in the first round of the VYRA Championships. The Super A's improved to 5-1 on the season, trailing only 3-0 Adirondack in league play.The game began in predictable fashion. Saratoga, known for their tough and powerful pack, were easily seen as they bigger of the two teams and the word on Essex was that they had a fleet footed line that boasted an all-star inside center who was quick and deceptive. They distributed the ball and forced overloads, after running the opposition ragged trying to keep up, and then would out sprint them to the try line for a score. Each team tried to establish its own game plan right off of the initial kick, which saw Saratoga retain possession in most rucks and mauls and pound the ball off of the right and left of the pile with its bigger forwards, including senior captain, prop Jessica Sears (Burnt Hills), junior prop Tiffany Neach (Burnt Hills), and the lock tandem of junior Marianna Carta (Burnt Hills) and senior Shelby Snyder (Scotia-Glenville), and eight man Eva Meier (Ballston Spa). The Mustangs played ball control offense which pushed play down into Essex territory, despite some solid kicks from the Essex line that sent freshman fullback Khirstian Carbonello (Burnt Hills) flying all over the field as they tried to gain position away from the "tackling swarm" of Saratoga.
Eventually, it was Meier who was able to pound the ball in for a score, and with Carbonello's conversion, the Mustangs jumped out to a 7-0 lead. After the ensuing kickoff, Saratoga worked its way back down the field again. In slow and patient fashion, and with the kicks of sophomore center Joya Clark (Scotia-Glenville), the Mustangs soon found themselves knocking at the door again. After a line out at Essex's five meter line, the girls from Essex passed the ball into their own try zone and put it down. Normally this would set up a prime scoring opportunity with a scum to Saratoga at the five meter line, a place where Meier has feasted on the opposition from her position as eight man, but the referee errantly called it a touch back, resulting in a 22 meter drop out. With the Mustangs coaches calling in plays for the apparent scrum, a center from Essex sprinted up to the try line and drop kicked the ball a few feet before scooping it up and taking off. She was able to out maneuver fullback Carbonello, who was more shallow than usual expecting a scrum to Saratoga, and race down the sideline for a score. The converted kick left Saratoga bewildered and now tied 7-7.
The try breathed new life into Essex and the see-saw battle began. Each time tried to reestablish itself as the half began to wind down, but neither team was able to put points on the board. When Saratoga did manage to punch into Essex's try zone, Essex proved itself adept and not letting the ball touch the ground, which negates a score (unlike football, in rugby the ball must cross the line AND touch the ground under control) and allowed them to send a booming kick out of their own zone. In the final few minutes, Saratoga again pushed their way into Essex's end. Crashing the ball with its powerful forwards, senior scrum-half Emily Wexler (Burnt Hills) burst through and put the ball down. Almost immediately, an Essex girls scooped up the ball. The ref signaled that ball had been held up or stripped, so no score was awarded. This ended the half. Coach Mody protested the call, vehemently, and the ref decided to consult with the nearest touch judge, a sort of secondary official whose primary job is to mark when the ball is put out of play. Upon review, the touch judge agreed that the ball had been placed before it was scooped, and Saratoga was awarded the try. When Carbonello's kick sailed wide left, Saratoga clung to a 12-7 lead.
The second half began with the same fierce running and tackling by both teams. For Saratoga, the effects of a prom the night before began to show as, combined with the heat of the day, the pace began to slow and Essex was able to hold its own in rucks and maul, even pressuring Wexler in several key areas which through the offense out of sync. Eventually, it was an overload by Essex that took advantage of Saratoga's over aggressive line and caught them on the outside with too few players to defend. Essex streaked down the field and scored, converting the following kick to claim a 14-12 lead.
The ensuing kickoff resulted in continued back and forth play. Each team was able to capitalize on the opposition's weaknesses to gain advantageous field position, but were unable to convert any points. Saratoga regrouped off of a penalty at the mid field, and decided to pound the ball using its forwards. This strategy again worked as they found themselves deep in Essex territory and the second half wore on. Each time Saratoga would pound the ball into the try zone, however, Essex held it up, negating a score. They were able to do this three times in a row until the ball was scooped off the back of a ruck by stiff arm throwing Jess Sears who willed herself into the try zone for the score. The crowd went wild as Saratoga reclaimed the lead. When Carbonello's kick sailed wide right, Saratoga found itself holding on to a slim 17-14 lead. Essex came after Saratoga on the following kickoff with renewed vigor, pulling out all the stops and playing an extremely aggressive defense in order to put as much pressure on the Mustangs as possible to force turnovers and increase their chances to score. The strategy worked for the most part, allowing Essex to keep the ball deep in Saratog's end of the field. But at that moment, with only two minutes to play, Saratoga's defense stiffened, and player after player from Essex was turned away. Eventually, Saratoga regained possession and booted the ball out of bounds, ending regulation time and snatching a victory in a hard fought contest. Senior Captain Jessica Sears, who had scored the game winning try was awarded Rugger of the Match by the coaching staff.
The Saratoga Mustangs Girls Super A's are now 5-1.
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