Varsity Cup Round 1: Navy Edges Out Dartmouth With Nail-Biter
In Hanover, NH, Navy escaped with a 23-22 victory over Dartmouth. In a game that saw several lead changes, Navy managed to get the final blow, earning them a date with Clemson in the round of eight.
With both sides coming off recent matches, Dartmouth against St. Mary’s and Navy against Clemson, the stage was set for a physical and fast paced contest. The match was a physical battle down to the last minute with multiple lead changes and back and forth play.
Navy controlled the game early and looked as though they might run away with it. The Midshipmen placed intense defensive pressure on the Big Green early and after forcing a knock on, took a 5-0 lead. Jack McAuliffe added a penalty and a drop goal to extend the lead to 11-0.
“Our forwards were really dominant and we were able to keep the ball in our hands,” Navy coach Mike Flanagan said of the early stages of the match.
Dartmouth hung tough with a bigger Navy side, however, keeping the deficit at 11 for most of the first half. After spending a number of minutes inside the Navy 22, the home side was rewarded with a man advantage. Off an ensuing lineout Dartmouth mauled its way over the try line to go into halftime trailing 11-5.
Midshipmen hold the line
The second half opened with a miscue for Navy but the Midshipmen withstood Dartmouth pressure until a scrum at midfield. A piece of individual brilliance from former track star, John Abraham, opened the scoring in the second half. Abraham took a pass from the scrum and scampered down the sideline for a try. Dartmouth missed the conversion but led 12-11.
Max Parker, at the other wing position, extended the lead after great phase play from the home side. Parker dotted down in the corner to increase the lead to 17-11.
“There scores were a typical Dartmouth kind of game,” Flanagan said of Dartmouth. “They get the ball out in space and support the runner well.”
Navy showed great resilience, immediately following up the Dartmouth score with a try of their own to take the lead 18-17. The visitors used their strong pack once again to take a pick and go over the goal line.
Former Dartmouth football player, Steve Dazzo regained the lead after fielding a line drive kick, and breaking two tackles to score a try in the corner. At this point, Dartmouth led 22-18.
Once again, Navy responded quickly, pounding in a forwards try to take 23-22 lead. The Navy defense did not crack anymore, and the visitors got out of Hanover with the narrow victory.
“They got together in goal and looked at each other and said we are playing for 80 more minutes of Rugby,” Flanagan said of his team. “They wanted it pretty badly, fought and clawed all the way down the field and scored.”
Clash of contrasting styles
Ultimately, this was a game of contrasting styles. The smaller but skilled Dartmouth side went to toe to toe with an aggressive and stronger Navy team. Flanagan indicated that this match could have very easily gone in favor of the hosts.
“Dartmouth played really well. That was the best game Dartmouth has ever played against us,” Flanagan said.
Dartmouth Coach Gavin Hickie commented on the match and the spring XVs season: “The coaching staff are very proud of the DRFC players who worked very hard to overcome a physical and aggressive Navy team. The effort and desire from Dartmouth was evident, but at times, our decision making let us down."
Clemson overcame an early deficit to beat Arkansas State University 26-22 on Saturday. They will face Navy in the Varsity Cup quarterfinal on April 11.
The Dartmouth Rugby Football Club now begins five weeks of training and preparation for the Collegiate Rugby Championships, the nation’s premier collegiate 7s tournament, which takes place May 31-June 1 at PPL Park in Philadelphia.
About the Varsity Cup
The 2015 Penn Mutual Varsity Cup Championship pits fourteen of the premier college rugby programs in the country. The schedule and format for this years’ Penn Mutual Varsity Cup features four rounds of competition, with the championship final being hosted at Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City, UT. NBCSN will provide live television coverage of the entire championship final on May 2nd, 2015.
Scoring Timeline 1st XV vs. Navy:
10:00 Navy 5
20:00 Navy 3
34:00 Navy 3
40:00 Hannam 5
Halftime Score: Dartmouth 5, Navy 12
45:00 Abraham 5, Workie 2
54:00 Parker 5
61:00 Navy 5, 2
65:00 Dazzo 5
69:00 Navy 5
Final Score: Dartmouth 22, Navy 23
The Team vs. Navy
1. Sean Ronan 2. Peter Savarese 3. Andrew Berson 4. Hayden Aldredge 5. Keith Hamren 6. Michael McDavid 7. Benji Hannam 8. Cody Patch 9. Jake Levine 10. Dawit Workie 11. John Abraham 12. Brendan Cronin 13. Stephen Dazzo 14. Max Parker 15. Ryan Maguire
Source: Varsity Cup and Dartmouth Press Releases