Saratoga Mustangs Boys Seek Retribution against Southern CDYR Opponents

On a day that is a little more typical to Northeast rugby than what has been seen thus far, the Saratoga Mustangs traveled to the Albany Bulldogs for a cold, wet, rainy set of games. The out loud focus points were fundamentals and proving that contrary to recent local newspaper articles, the Saratoga Mustangs Boys are a team to be taken seriously. In the backs of the boys' minds, though, was the need to play for young David Mucha, who became seriously ill earlier in the week. With David still recovering, the boys knew that they HAD to win the games for him.

Kickoff for the Super A's occurred just a few minutes after 5:00 pm, and two minutes later, Saratoga set the tone. With some great pod play and rucking, the ball was spread to the back's captain and inside center, Bryan Little. Using his quick feet and disgusting cutting ability, B. Little ran through defenders to put the Mustangs up 5-0. A few minutes later, B. Little made a similar display of cuts, but this time made a key pass to outside center Dan Godshalk who got the Mustangs up 10-0. Great team play and back line dominance put the the Mustangs up 29-0 about 20 minutes into the first half, with two more scores by B. Little and one by gritty scrum half, Matt Bynon. It shall be noted that B. Little's last try was at least 50 meters as he sliced the Bulldog defense, saying no to anyone that attempted to arm tackle him. This running apparently confused Saratoga for the second part of the first half as they reverted to track meet style play with the wings, Ryan Bobbitt and Greg Manning, sprinting long distances up their respective sidelines. Unfortunately, their speedy moves got them out of support of their trailing teammates.

Seeing this, the team modified its play and started playing some forwards-dominated rugby. Mustang 8-man, Mike Matrazzo, and flanker, Jesse Hummer, began leading pods with fury; with their deceiving moves, they put the Mustangs up 39-0 at the half. With wholesale substitutions at the half, Saratoga maintained its composure. Things were no where near as flowing as the first half, though, as Albany was counseled and calmed down at the half. They came back out with heart and determination and it was known that they were playing for pride.

With the Bulldog's play more determined, the forward play of the Mustangs became much more critical. M. Matrazzo used the rucking ability of his teammates to find the ball and the try zone three more times in the second half. However, it was the team defense in this frame that was even more impressive. Albany line-outs were stolen 75% of the time as J. Hummer and his mile-long arms disrupted many of the throws in from the Bulldog hook. The Bulldogs broke the ball to the outside on a few occasions, beating Saratoga to the sideline; however, it was the pursuit of the Mustang defenders that squashed the scoring attempts. Arguably the biggest play in the Mustangs young season was the preservation of their shutout. Albany used some key play by their back line to find their way into the try zone late in the game. The Saratoga backs were chasing on defense; as the ball crossed the line and was about to be put down, D. Godshalk came threw and knocked the ball out of the Bulldog's hands, deleting any chance for a score. Final score: Saratoga Mustangs Super A's 56 - Albany Bulldogs 0. Man of the Match: 8-man Mike Matrazzo, with a very close second of inside center Bryan Little.

After much debate and concern for lighting, the Saratoga Mustangs Boys A-side took the field with Albany, after a dominating game by the Mustang women. This last game of the day was shortened significantly as the light was fading fast. However, upon kickoff, the Mustangs showed no mercy and they continued hard, fundamental play seen from the Super A's earlier in the evening. Saratoga took advantage of spreading the field, and once more utilized its speedy, shifty wings. With quick ball down the line, right side wing Dan Miller put the Mustangs up 5-0 with a try far on the right. A few minutes later, D. Miller took some great passing and did the same thing, using some quick cuts to free himself for a sprint to the score.

Shortly after, with a scrumdown to Albany near mid-field, time was briefly called to rotate in substitutions and for both teams to strategize. On the next whistle play resumed. The forwards were evenly matched throughout as both teams played with all the heart that they could muster. With the ball changing possession several times at mid field, Albany was able to spread the ball to their right wing and he sprinted down the sideline for a score. After the conversion was attempted, the sir called the game due to lighting issues. Even though the playing was relatively short, Saratoga showed its organization and captains Ross Batty and Ben Murphy kept their team composed, amidst some questionable play by the opposition. Final score: Saratoga Mustangs A's 10 - Albany Bulldogs 5. Man of the match: Wing - Dan Miller.

Job well done by all.