UMF men’s rugby captures sixth Maine Cup championship

PORTLAND – On Saturday, the University of Maine at Farmington men’s rugby team defeated the University of Maine-Orono by a 15-10 score to capture the Maine Cup, the annual championship held to determine the best college rugby team in Maine.

The UMF ruggers faced a determined and well-coached Colby College squad in their first match of the day, and in a hard-fought encounter were able to advance with a 19-0 win. The UMO men’s route to the final was even more impressive as they ran in a number of tries, many from long range, against a Bates College team that had already played and lost a close and extremely physical encounter to a fast-improving University of New England side.

The UMF versus UMO final had been anticipated most of the day by the large crowd at Deering High School, because that same match-up has decided most Maine Cup championships over the past 10 years. Led by captains Mo Schultz and Mark Garrido, the UMF men took control of the match early on and scored the game’s first try to go up by a 5-0 count.

The UMO team tried to answer back, but determined UMF tackling spear-headed by veterans Vincent Malinauskas and Garrett Hodgkins and rookies Adrian Ryan, Mena Boyah and Dustin Zamboni held UMO at bay until just before half-time when they scored a well-earned try of their own to send the teams into the break with the score knotted.

Until UMO mounted a desperate and nearly successful comeback in the match’s final three minutes, the second half was all UMF. A series of crash ball runs through the heart of the UMO forwards by man-of-the-match Ryan Berthiaume and his front row mate Joe Doughty soaked up so many UMO tacklers that the UMF backs finally had more room to run.

First a quick tap penalty, followed by a series of quick passes paid off with a UMF try in the corner, and then wing Pete McCoy brilliantly fed stellar fullback Sean “Skills” Skillern for a 60-meter sprint down the sideline and a try that put UMF ahead by a 15-5 score.

It was no surprise to anyone that the men from Orono still had plans on taking the Maine Cup back north with them, and their relentless pressure led to a try which tightened the score to 15-10 with just two minutes remaining. The UMO men took the match’s final kick-off and for several minutes advanced toward the UMF tryline in an effort to score a try which, if converted, would have made them Maine Cup winners. In the end though, the resolute UMF defense was able to recapture the ball and hoof it out of bounds to secure the win.

For the UMF men it was their sixth Maine Cup championship out of the past eight. Six UMF players were named to the 15-man all-tournament all-star team: Berthiaume, Schultz, Garrido, Skillern, and human tackling machines Frank Makuch and Matt Bigelow, but it was the hard work all season long by all 23 UMF players that led to their success.

The UMF men will end their season on Saturday, May 3 at 1 p.m. with their annual alumni match on Prescott Field.