The team came out with a focused urgency to take command by placing immediate pressure on Marist, only allowing Marist to recycle the ball once after kick-off, before counter-rucking to take back possession and work up the field in short-order, scoring the first try in the first minute. This set the tone for the match, and the team's work on and off the field was on display, as their improved fitness allowed them to sustain their fire, allowing us a commanding lead at 50-5 at the end of the half. Possession was an ever-present theme of the match, with forwards communicating well to take offloads at the right pace, and backs making smarter decisions into moving the ball or setting up a secure ruck.
The pace in the second half was slowed down by an adjustment by the referee. In his defense, I believe he initially assumed that we were an inexperienced team, but quickly realized that he had to shift his game management from "learning" to "competitive". Our exuberance to secure the ball did result in a few too many penalties for offsides and improper ruck entry, but players adjusted and worked to play to the ref's ever shrinking tolerance of our encroachment. With Marist benefiting from the penalties, we were forced to work on our defense, and we displayed improved lower tackling, counter-rucking and smart ball pickups to clean up sloppy balls. The score margin also allowed for greater risks, as we worked to utilize more kicking. Our subs came into the game to keep the pressure throughout the match, while getting additional live-game experience, and we finished strong with a final score of 78-15.
Phenomenal work from forwards Cristina Coleman ('24),
Veronica McAdams ('25)
Grace Harasimowicz ('24) at the breakdowns, and strong carries by
Nicole Hegarty ('23),
Maggie Kelly ('25), and forwards captain
Cassie Pearce ('23) with key contributions from
Ashley Mooney ('23) and an excellent debut of
Brigid Muller ('25) at scrum-half.
Backs Captain Kieran McAllister ('23) had a 75% conversion rate, and scrum-half
Emily Raia ('24) drove in 4 tries. Special congrats to
Brigid Muller ('25) and Christina Coleman ('24) for scoring their inaugural Fairfield tries.
Next week we face Columbia University at Grauert Field on Sunday, October 2 at 11 am, who we last faced at the Tri-State Conference Quarterfinals. We hope to see many alums out to cheer on the team as we look to keep our march towards securing a place in conference playoffs!
