NEW LONDON, N.H. – November 9, 2019 – The top-seeded Colby-Sawyer women’s rugby team was upset by fourth-seeded University of New England, 25-24, in Saturday’s National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) semifinal match at Mercer Field.
UNE advances to the Division III Championship against the winner of Bowdoin/Norwich.
Colby-Sawyer ends its season with a 7-2 record.
The Nor’easters wasted no time to get on the board first with a try, less than a minute into the match. Sophomore Katie Berger (Arlington, Vt.) ran up the sideline and crossed the goal-line to put UNE on top 5-0. Senior Mariah Chase (Unity, N.H.) made the conversion to make the score 7-0.
Colby-Sawyer responded a couple of minutes later as sophomore Sydney Jackson (Alexandria, Va.) broke free from the defenders and scored. Sophomore Julia Anhalt (Littleton, Colo.) tied the score with a successful conversion.
In the 19th minute, UNE went in front once again with a try after a strong play from junior Colby Williams (Sanford, Maine).
The Chargers quickly answered with a try and a conversion by Anhalt to make the score 14-12 in favor of Colby-Sawyer.
The final score of the first half came off the foot of Chase as she converted a penalty kick for three points to put UNE in front 15-14 at the break.
Jackson recorded her second try of the match to begin the scoring of the second half in the 54th minute. Colby-Sawyer took a 19-15 lead.
UNE cut the deficit to 19-18 with another successful penalty kick from Chase in the 61st minute.
Colby-Sawyer then took a 24-18 lead as sophomore Erin Wholey (Belmont, Mass.) made a run to the right corner in the 67th minute.
In the 69th minute, UNE senior Madison DeRosa (Auburn, Maine) forced a turnover and took the ball into the endzone to pull the Nor’easter within a point. Chase calmly stepped up for the conversion and hit the ball through the uprights with the eventual game-winning kick.
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