This past Saturday, the Saratoga Stampede completed its fall season. Despite missing out on the New England Rugby Football Union’s Division IV Championship by a few points in the standings, Saratoga replaced a forfeit by the Boston Ironsides (moving their record to 5-1) with a game by a conglomerate of local college teams. Most notable on the opponent’s team included SUNY Oneonta’s Ryan Romano, who played several games with the Stampede this season because his college team is facing sanctions from USA Rugby. Romano’s slashing style and speed was a focus for the Saratoga defense. Stop Romano and Saratoga felt confident that they could control the tempo of the game. Also suiting up was Kevin Mackenzie from Union College, who played with the Stampede this past summer. Ballston Spa Alum and Union College student John Robens was also on hand, but only from the sidelines as he was nursing a leg injury.
The Stampede took the field looking to slow down the tempo of the game as much as possible. Knowing that a side made entirely of college students would mean a team with greater speed, agility, and on some fronts, cardiovascular fitness, it was in the best interests of the team to play a pack control game that featured deliberate rucking. Aggressive college players, often bent on making the hard hit, have a tendency to over commit to rucks and mauls. Hoping to capitalize on this, Saratoga stacked its scrum with size and experience, and put younger, speedier players on the line to take advantage of overloads and positive field position. The strategy worked.
Saratoga was able to control the game for most of the first half, despite having to be on the defensive side of the highest number of scrum downs it had to endure in a single half this season due to a few ill-advised passes that ended up being knocked forward (in rugby, a forward fumble results in loss of possession). Nonetheless, Saratoga’s Guard Dog defense was run very well with players dedicated to running the zone style attack. They were able to shut down “Unieonta” before their back line could get anything going. Strong tackles by eventual Man-of-the-Match winner Jamie Merrit kept the college side in check all afternoon. As time wore on, flankers Pete Mody and Chuck Tempest and eight-man Steve Ristau were able to get Mackenzie’s timing down and anticipate passes to the speedy Romano. This allowed them to stop Romano for a loss several times or force him to make quick passes that allowed Merrit and James Rigney chances to make crushing tackles.
On the offensive side of the ball, it was mostly a day of feasting for the backs. After members of the pack were able to draw in multiple defenders, Doug McCluskey was able to set loose his backline. As a result, tries were scored by Merrit, Rigney, Kevin Dooling, and Tim Hodgins. Also added into the scoring mix were a plunging try by prop Aaron Noble and another score by scrum-half Nick DeFilippo. After adding McCluskey’s three conversions, Saratoga took the game 36-7, with the lone try from the college side being scored by Romano.
The highlight of the day, however, was Dooling’s try. After a high kick to the opposing wing by fullback Tom Northrop, Merrit raced down the field. As the wing caught the ball, Merrit delivered a crushing blow. The ball immediately popped out of his hands and Kevin Dooling, in close pursuit, snagged it mid-air and raced untouched for his score, while the crowd erupted. It was one of the most dazzling plays this season.
What the Future Holds
In Saratoga’s upcoming Annual General Meeting on November 8th, the club will decide whether or not to petition NERFU to move to Division III despite coming in second in the Division Championship. Traditionally, only the top team has been allowed to challenge to move up, but with Saratoga’s strong season and its point differential ending at +200 (points scored minus points allowed), it feels it has done enough to make the petition, should the team decide the move is in the best interest of the club.
One truth is for certain, however. Saratoga, whose record was 1-5 in its first season in the spring of 2006 and currently stands at 6-1, has come a long way.
23 October 2008
Saratoga Mustangs Girls Land One Starter, Two Alternates on NRU Girls All-Star Team
A selection camp was held this past Sunday to compile the Northeast Regional Union's Girls U-19 All-Star team for competition in Fort Lauderdale, FL for November 22-23. The NRU All-Stars will play against other regional squads from all over the country. The selection camp featured over sixty players from six states at the high school and college level.The Saratoga Mustangs Girls U-19 Team is proud to announce that it secured a starting spot and two alternates out of the 22 girls and 7 alternates selected. Fullback and Scotia-Glenville's Joya Clark, a junior, was selected as a starter, while flanker Jordan Scacchetti, a senior from Burnt Hills, and senior center Quennah Holt, from Shenendahowa, were selected as alternates for the squad.
All-star selector Jenna Bussman praised the quality of young talent that attended the camp and looked forward to some of the younger players who were not selected trying out again next year as high school seniors or college freshman. In an understandably college heavy selection, collegiate players made up 22 of the 29 total selected as starters and alternates. For the Saratoga Mustangs to have three of the seven high school players selected is quite an accomplishment for the second year club.
Clark, a rookie this past spring, is known for her aggressiveness on the pitch. Gifted with great speed, good hands, a good foot, and passion for crushing tackles, she joins Niskayuna and Mustang alumnae Maddy Cocca, who was a member of the NRU All-Stars in 2007 and who currently plays eight man for the College of Saint Benedict.
22 October 2008
Springfield Manhandles Mad River, Takes Division Crown
Despite doing everything they had the power to do, the one loss this season was enough to keep Saratoga from their first championship. Unlike past years when a playoff system allowed top teams a chance to make amends for missteps, the point system employed by the New England Rugby Football Union kept Springfield in the driver's seat when they dispatched a severely short handed Mad River Club, 60-5. Having to borrow three players from Springfield and still playing one man short, Mad River had little chance of coming through with an upset that Saratoga needed to slip by in the standings so they could capture the title.
Under the scoring guidelines, a team gets four points for a win and an additional point if they score at least four tries. A losing team can still get points, however, if they score four tries (1 point) and/or if they lose by three points or less (1 point). Using this system, Saratoga put itself in a position to tie or win the division with their victory versus Monadnock, had Springfield tied and not scored four tries. Even if Saratoga tied Springfield in the standings, despite the fact that they lost to Springfield head-to-head, Saratoga had a higher point diferential (points scored versus points allowed), and they would have been awarded the championship.
The point became moot quickly, however, and Springfield captured the division crown by outpacing Saratoga by a league standings point total of 24-20. The four point differential comes from Saratoga's lone loss on the season, which was to Springfield.
The team is still in high spirits as it boasts a 5-1 regular season record and a second place finish in only its second year of divisional play. After making the playoffs last year with a 3-3 record and finishing the season in fourth place, the club was happy with its improvement.
Come cheer the club on as it competes in a "friendly" (a game against a non-league opponent) when they challenge some of the top players from three area colleges this Saturday at Shenentaha Creek Park at 1:00 PM.
Chat With The Vets This Saturday
What is Bill McLain's secret to the throw-in? What does Doug McCluskey feel about leading such a youthful backline? How does James Rigney feel about having the team's highest penalty-to-minutes-played ratio? This Saturday brings you a chance to chat with some of the vets on the sidelines! It will largely be a "futures" game for the Stampede, featuring vets for the first 20 minutes and then some of the new faces that have joined the club this season for the remainder of the match. Players will be there to answer all of your questions about the game, the season, and the team. Catch some commentary as well as what the future holds for this growing club!
Under the scoring guidelines, a team gets four points for a win and an additional point if they score at least four tries. A losing team can still get points, however, if they score four tries (1 point) and/or if they lose by three points or less (1 point). Using this system, Saratoga put itself in a position to tie or win the division with their victory versus Monadnock, had Springfield tied and not scored four tries. Even if Saratoga tied Springfield in the standings, despite the fact that they lost to Springfield head-to-head, Saratoga had a higher point diferential (points scored versus points allowed), and they would have been awarded the championship.
The point became moot quickly, however, and Springfield captured the division crown by outpacing Saratoga by a league standings point total of 24-20. The four point differential comes from Saratoga's lone loss on the season, which was to Springfield.
The team is still in high spirits as it boasts a 5-1 regular season record and a second place finish in only its second year of divisional play. After making the playoffs last year with a 3-3 record and finishing the season in fourth place, the club was happy with its improvement.
Come cheer the club on as it competes in a "friendly" (a game against a non-league opponent) when they challenge some of the top players from three area colleges this Saturday at Shenentaha Creek Park at 1:00 PM.
Chat With The Vets This Saturday
What is Bill McLain's secret to the throw-in? What does Doug McCluskey feel about leading such a youthful backline? How does James Rigney feel about having the team's highest penalty-to-minutes-played ratio? This Saturday brings you a chance to chat with some of the vets on the sidelines! It will largely be a "futures" game for the Stampede, featuring vets for the first 20 minutes and then some of the new faces that have joined the club this season for the remainder of the match. Players will be there to answer all of your questions about the game, the season, and the team. Catch some commentary as well as what the future holds for this growing club!
20 October 2008
Saratoga Takes Care of Business, Drops Monadnock to Go 4-1
It looks like the Saratoga Stampede Men’s Rugby Club wasn’t quite done in terms of fighting for a title, after all. After a tough loss to division leading Springfield dropped the team to 2-1, Saratoga responded by posting a 5
8-10 thrashing of shorthanded Berkshire before they went into their bye weekend. Entering the final weekend of seasonal play, Saratoga had to beat Monadnock and score at least four tries, coupled with a Springfield loss on the road against Mad River, if they had any hope of bringing home their first Division IV Championship Title. Taking care of their half of the arrangement, Saratoga made the three hour trip into New Hampshire, and under cold and windy conditions, out grinded the Highlanders, 23-8.
The game kicked off with Saratoga receiving and moving up field. With spirited play on both sides, the ball moved back and forth in the middle third of the field, until the fifteen minute mark, when Monadnock’s fullback was able to find a seam on the right side of the pitch and streak for a score at the corner. The kick was not converted and Monadnock took a 5-0 lead.
After the ensuing kickoff, more big hits from both sides again kept the ball essentially in the middle of the field. Saratoga scrum-half Nick DeFilippo noticed that Monadnock had pulled their fullback up to play defense and booted a kick over the backline. He raced after the kick, jostling with the Monadnock’s fullback, and overtook him, scooping the ball off of the ground at full speed. Monadnock’s only hope was to trip up the speedy DeFilippo, and the fullback dove at his legs. DeFilippo somehow managed to keep his balance and his feet, and dove into the try zone for the tying score.
Saratoga then managed to keep possession and control of the ball, essentially, for the rest of the half. Despite some fumbles and less than perfect passes that thwarted strong scoring drives, Jamie Merrit punched in another score to give Saratoga the lead. Monadnock responded with a penalty kick, which brought them within two points. Saratoga managed to drive deep into Mondanock territory, but a pile of Saratoga ruggers were pushed out of bounds as the first half expired, Saratoga leading 10-8.
The second half showed a change in tempo as Saratoga grew more and more dominant in loose play on the field, forcing turnovers and pushing deep in Monadnock territory, forcing the home team to turn to constant kicking. Behind fullback Vern Peek’s strong punting, Saratoga was able to take advantage of penalties by Monadnock and push into their zone, winning most of their lineouts. One of these lineouts was dumped to DeFilippo who surprised both teams by converting the team’s first ever drop kick, ala Doug Flutie, pushing Saratoga’s lead back to five and giving them some breathing room, at 13-8.
Monadnock was not done, however, and after a series of lost lineouts and Saratoga penalties, made two final drives to get back in the game. Saratoga broke out an intense goal line defense on two separate occasions, stopping mauls, which had been a struggle for the team in the past, and driving players out of bounds. Three consecutive Monadnock lineouts were stolen, as jumper Adam DiGiorgio tipped the ball into lifter Pete Mody’s hands, which were then quickly recycled and booted farther and farther from Saratoga’s try zone.
The swift feet of Kevin Dooling helped pace the game when, after several cut back runs, he found a seam and drove in for a score. Saratoga, now leading 18-8, found themselves with only a few minutes left to score the fourth try and get the scoring bonus that gave them a shot at a Division IV Title. After a strong kickoff return by Mody, the Saratoga line maneuvered the ball down deep into Monadnock territory. When a Monadnock player was pushed out of bounds at the 22 meter line, the team only had 32 seconds remaining to get the final score. Scrum captain Bill McLain tossed a perfect throw to eight-man Steve Ristau, who dished the ball to DeFilippo. DeFilippo was bowled over by a crashing member of the Monadnock scrum but still completed a perfect out pass to fly-half and field captain Doug McCluskey, while he was upside down. McCluskey, who had been slashing through Monadnock defenders all day, drew multiple defenders to him as he worked his way to the ten meter line of Monadnock. It was then, after winning the ruck, that DeFilippo spotted the team’s largest player, prop Aaron Noble, running to crash the ball. Expecting to be hit, Noble received the ball and swiveled his head, looking for the oncoming hit. With several team mates screaming “RUN NOBLE”, the big man took off and rumbled into the try zone untouched, leaving Monadnock players scratching their heads.
As the final conversion sailed wide, Saratoga claimed a 23-8 victory and scored enough tries for the point bonus to give them a shot at the Division IV Title. Should Saratoga win this title, they would be able to challenge the worst team in Division III to a relegation match and an opportunity to take their spot in Division III. After going 3-3 last year, which was good for a fourth place finish in the New England Rugby Football Union’s Division IV, a forfeit by Boston gives the team a 5-1 record for 2008. It is the best record the team has achieved, thus far.
As they await status on the challenge match, come join the team this Saturday for a friendly match between Saratoga and a combined side from Union College and SUNY Oneonta. The kickoff is at 1:00 PM at Shenentaha Creek Park in Ballston Spa, directly after the 2-1 Saratoga Women’s Rugby Club completes the final game of its first season in club history. For more information about Saratoga Rugby, please visit http://www.saratogarugby.org/.
8-10 thrashing of shorthanded Berkshire before they went into their bye weekend. Entering the final weekend of seasonal play, Saratoga had to beat Monadnock and score at least four tries, coupled with a Springfield loss on the road against Mad River, if they had any hope of bringing home their first Division IV Championship Title. Taking care of their half of the arrangement, Saratoga made the three hour trip into New Hampshire, and under cold and windy conditions, out grinded the Highlanders, 23-8.The game kicked off with Saratoga receiving and moving up field. With spirited play on both sides, the ball moved back and forth in the middle third of the field, until the fifteen minute mark, when Monadnock’s fullback was able to find a seam on the right side of the pitch and streak for a score at the corner. The kick was not converted and Monadnock took a 5-0 lead.
After the ensuing kickoff, more big hits from both sides again kept the ball essentially in the middle of the field. Saratoga scrum-half Nick DeFilippo noticed that Monadnock had pulled their fullback up to play defense and booted a kick over the backline. He raced after the kick, jostling with the Monadnock’s fullback, and overtook him, scooping the ball off of the ground at full speed. Monadnock’s only hope was to trip up the speedy DeFilippo, and the fullback dove at his legs. DeFilippo somehow managed to keep his balance and his feet, and dove into the try zone for the tying score.
Saratoga then managed to keep possession and control of the ball, essentially, for the rest of the half. Despite some fumbles and less than perfect passes that thwarted strong scoring drives, Jamie Merrit punched in another score to give Saratoga the lead. Monadnock responded with a penalty kick, which brought them within two points. Saratoga managed to drive deep into Mondanock territory, but a pile of Saratoga ruggers were pushed out of bounds as the first half expired, Saratoga leading 10-8.
The second half showed a change in tempo as Saratoga grew more and more dominant in loose play on the field, forcing turnovers and pushing deep in Monadnock territory, forcing the home team to turn to constant kicking. Behind fullback Vern Peek’s strong punting, Saratoga was able to take advantage of penalties by Monadnock and push into their zone, winning most of their lineouts. One of these lineouts was dumped to DeFilippo who surprised both teams by converting the team’s first ever drop kick, ala Doug Flutie, pushing Saratoga’s lead back to five and giving them some breathing room, at 13-8.
Monadnock was not done, however, and after a series of lost lineouts and Saratoga penalties, made two final drives to get back in the game. Saratoga broke out an intense goal line defense on two separate occasions, stopping mauls, which had been a struggle for the team in the past, and driving players out of bounds. Three consecutive Monadnock lineouts were stolen, as jumper Adam DiGiorgio tipped the ball into lifter Pete Mody’s hands, which were then quickly recycled and booted farther and farther from Saratoga’s try zone.
The swift feet of Kevin Dooling helped pace the game when, after several cut back runs, he found a seam and drove in for a score. Saratoga, now leading 18-8, found themselves with only a few minutes left to score the fourth try and get the scoring bonus that gave them a shot at a Division IV Title. After a strong kickoff return by Mody, the Saratoga line maneuvered the ball down deep into Monadnock territory. When a Monadnock player was pushed out of bounds at the 22 meter line, the team only had 32 seconds remaining to get the final score. Scrum captain Bill McLain tossed a perfect throw to eight-man Steve Ristau, who dished the ball to DeFilippo. DeFilippo was bowled over by a crashing member of the Monadnock scrum but still completed a perfect out pass to fly-half and field captain Doug McCluskey, while he was upside down. McCluskey, who had been slashing through Monadnock defenders all day, drew multiple defenders to him as he worked his way to the ten meter line of Monadnock. It was then, after winning the ruck, that DeFilippo spotted the team’s largest player, prop Aaron Noble, running to crash the ball. Expecting to be hit, Noble received the ball and swiveled his head, looking for the oncoming hit. With several team mates screaming “RUN NOBLE”, the big man took off and rumbled into the try zone untouched, leaving Monadnock players scratching their heads.
As the final conversion sailed wide, Saratoga claimed a 23-8 victory and scored enough tries for the point bonus to give them a shot at the Division IV Title. Should Saratoga win this title, they would be able to challenge the worst team in Division III to a relegation match and an opportunity to take their spot in Division III. After going 3-3 last year, which was good for a fourth place finish in the New England Rugby Football Union’s Division IV, a forfeit by Boston gives the team a 5-1 record for 2008. It is the best record the team has achieved, thus far.
As they await status on the challenge match, come join the team this Saturday for a friendly match between Saratoga and a combined side from Union College and SUNY Oneonta. The kickoff is at 1:00 PM at Shenentaha Creek Park in Ballston Spa, directly after the 2-1 Saratoga Women’s Rugby Club completes the final game of its first season in club history. For more information about Saratoga Rugby, please visit http://www.saratogarugby.org/.
06 October 2008
Saratoga Stallions Win Hard-Hitting 10's Match vs. Vermont Law, 52-37
The Saratoga Stallions Women's Rugby team hosted the women of Vermont Law on Saturday, October 4th, and continued to dominate the field in a hard-hitting, fast-paced, and high-scoring 10's match.The Stallions got off to an early lead when Jasmine Patterson (center back) broke through the Vermont Law defensive line to run the ball in for a try. Jenny Petronis (wing) completed the conversion kick to finish the opening drive and give the Stallions a 7-0 lead only minutes into the match.
Saratoga continued to push through holes in the Vermont Law defense, and opened their lead to 17-0 with tries scored by Alessandra Bender (wing), Jenny Petronis, and another conversion kick by Petronis.
The Vermont Law offense began a furious push and fought back during the end of the first half. Tries were scored by Sarah Banks (player on loan from Albany Law), Karen Reynolds, Cami Daigle (Albany Law), and Janice Chan. A conversion kick was also completed by Sarah Banks to bring the score to 17-27.
The Stallions ended the first half with a final push. Jasmine Patterson drove into the try zone, and the conversion was completed by Jenny Petronis. At the end of the first half, Vermont Law had the lead, 26-27.
The Stallions regrouped and dominated the second half - only allowing two tries for Vermont Law, by Jenna Seibeck and Cami Daigle. The Saratoga offense increased the intensity, scoring four tries (Patterson and Petronis), and three conversion kicks (Petronis). The final score was 52-37.
Next week, the Stallions will travel to Rochester to play the Renegades on Saturday, October 11th at 1pm.
Photo Caption:
The Stallions (red) fight Vermont Law (green) for control of the maul. Image courtesy of Bill Stelmack
Forwards: Carolyn Rooney, Hannah Mode, Mary Beth Bolduc, Wendy Rodriguez, Diane Greg, Lindsey Burns, Amanda Romand (on loan to Vermont Law), Ariel Dickson
Backs: Meghan Marinello, Sarah Black, Kaorina Kuok, Stormie Romero, Jasmine Patterson, Alessandra Bender, Jenny Petronis
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