A week after destroying its Ivy League competition, winning the Ivy League title by a combined 145-0 over three matches, the women's rugby team excelled again at the next level. The Bears won both their matches at the NCAA National Tournament in Albuquerque, N.M., last weekend, taking down West Chester University, 50-12, and then pulling out a victory over a tough UC Davis team with a late try, 17-12.
Brown, out of the New England Rugby Football Union, was the No. 5 seed and drew the 12th-seeded Golden Rams in the first round on Friday.
West Chester, a "well-funded varsity program" according to Head Coach Kerri Heffernan, was larger than Bruno and tried to bully Brown behind its large pack, but the Bears were able to play just as physically.
"In New Mexico, we had to deal with very large teams," Heffernan wrote in an e-mail. "I think we consistently surprise teams with just how strong we are... We are small but powerful, just blowing large packs off the ball."
In addition to matching West Chester up front, the Bruno backline used its superior speed on the outside to attack the defense. Though West Chester drew first blood, Brown rattled off five straight tries, including two from wing Blaine Martin '11, to go into halftime up 29-5.
"They scored in the first five minutes, but we didn't for a second think that we couldn't turn around and control the game, which is exactly what we did," forwards captain Keisha Carlson '08 wrote in an e-mail.
Once the Brown forwards absorbed the West Chester pack's punishment, the Bruno backs went to work.
"Whitney Brown ('08.5), our flyhalf, did an excellent job mixing up the plays and exploiting the gaps on the outside of the West Chester defense," backs captain Yadi Ibarra '09 wrote in an e-mail. "Most of our points came from beating their backs on the outside play."
After halftime, it was more Bruno as star center Emilie Bydwell '08 had her second try of the game. Brown was up 43-5 before West Chester managed to string together a few successful phases and break through for a try.
Though Brown walked away with a decisive win, 50-12, on the scoreboard, it was a physically grueling match for Bruno, who had to turn around to play again the next day.
But the Bears were not distracted by fatigue, jet lag, high altitude or anything else because they had to bounce back against No. 4 seed UC Davis, who defeated UCLA the day before, also by a score of 50-12.
"It was clear all weekend that our players focused their emotions in the right place, blocked out distractions and just got their jobs done," Club President Kalie Gold '08 wrote in an e-mail.
Brown needed all that focus against the Aggies, who were almost as big as West Chester and tackled better. They were able to contain the high-scoring Brown attack and keep the match close with a very organized defense.
Bruno got on the board first with 15 minutes to play in the first half when No. 8 Alex Hartley '10 scored off a lineout from 15 meters. Brown missed the conversion and took a 5-0 lead into the half, despite possessing the ball and keeping it in UC Davis territory.
Bydwell added to the lead after a victorious scrum when she broke through the Aggie line with a 50-meter dash. The conversion made it 12-0, though UC Davis' tri-line defense continually frustrated Bruno. The Aggies fought hard in the rucks, which slowed the ball coming out to the Brown backs and allowed the UC Davis backs to regroup and step up hard to make tackles.
UC-Davis stormed back with two tries, including one with under five minutes left, to tie the score at 12-12, but Brown had a little bit left in the tank after a lot of travel and two exhausting matches.
"Fitness is our greatest asset," Heffernan said. "We can outwork any team which allows us to execute, even in the late minutes of a match."
Bruno did execute to perfection as the clock wound down. With under three minutes remaining in the match, Brown had another lineout inside the UC Davis 22-meter line. The throw came in straight, something Brown had struggled with all day because of strong winds. The ball went through the hands to Bydwell outside. She drew the defense and put wing Kristen Sylvester '08 away on the outside for the game-winning try in the waning moments.
"We were able to sync our forward and back play beautifully on (the game-winning play) by disorganizing their defense and having the ball go through everyone's hands," Ibarra said.
Heffernan also felt as though the play was the culmination of all that the team had been working on all game.
"The clock was ticking, virtually no time left and every player did her job right on time - it was impossible to stop," Heffernan said.
The team was aided throughout the weekend by strong team spirit and support from a number of parents, according to Gold.
"I would say that no sideline was as boisterous as ours - we simply never quieted down," Gold said. "The refs were even impressed."
The team was very excited about the victories and "to be regarded as a top program," according to Heffernan.
Though the team was tired from the trip and intense matches, it will be back at work in preparation for the next round, each member trying to match the intensity of the past weekend.
"Every player has value for us," Gold said. "It was very clear to me throughout the trip how much these women care about each other, and you could feel that every day."
The wins put Brown in the Final Four at Stanford. There, Bruno will face off with defending national champion and perennial powerhouse Penn State. This is the furthest Brown has ever been, and it has been a long road for the current seniors. Four years ago, according to Carlson, Brown was not even good enough to make the New England Final Four and now they are headed for a shot at a national championship.
"I think for the seniors especially, this progression has been incredibly rewarding and something we never would have predicted four years ago," she said.
Though it is uncharted territory for the Bears, Ibarra is confident they will put up a good fight against the Nittany Lions.
"We've never been here before, but I have no doubt that we have what it takes to bring it home."
