Women’s rugby defeated by Neumann College, 36-30

KRISTEN SCHNEIDER

Staff Writer

A brutal weekend for the women’s rugby team tarnished an otherwise incredible season.

The Denison University rugby team was defeated in their 36-30 loss against Neumann College this past Saturday.  With the regional title on the line, all 16 players were prepared and worked extremely hard for the full 80 minutes.

The game was fairly inconsistent with both teams making mistakes.  Playing sloppy on both ends caused multiple injuries to take place. 

Captain Mary Kate McNulty ‘18 suffered a hard hit to the ground and had to be taken out before the first half.  Neumann University’s illegal hitting and aggressive play resulted in the second captain Alex Cardarelli ‘18 to be carried off the field with a broken foot.

Injuries definitely hurt and played a role in the outcome of the game. Scoring contributions and big plays came from McNulty, Nia Gavia ‘20, and Kendal Caraballo ‘19.  Without the help and leadership of their two captains, the Big Red struggled to score in the second half.

“It is unfortunate that both captains got hurt tonight,” Cardarelli ‘18 said.  “I wish things would have gone differently especially because our team is better.  Although we didn’t get the result we wanted, we gave one hundred percent effort and left everything out on the field.” 

Due to their loss on Saturday, Denison played again against Allegany college on Sunday November 13.   This game  determined their future in the Sweet Sixteen Regional Tournament.  Although the game also ended in a loss for Denison, they truly had a great season.

“A lot of shifts in position had to be made since we were down so many players,” Yana Holden ‘18 said.  “At one point throughout the game we only were playing with 14 players on the field.  Although we had limited numbers, we really played well and showed our talent.”

Making it to the Sweet Sixteen and having such a successful season were huge accomplishments for the Big Red. 

“This season has been an incredible journey in which our program has grown and continued to improve,” Cardarelli ‘18 said.  “We hope to make it to nationals next year and keep building off our skills for next year.”