WATERVILLE – On Saturday, the University of Maine at Farmington men’s rugby team traveled to Colby College and bested their hosts in a high-scoring try-fest that was not decided until standout UMF wing Matt Scremins turned the corner at midfield and raced in with his fourth try of the afternoon.
The win enables the UMF men to finish the year with a 5-1 record and guaranteed them at least a share of the top spot in the Maine collegiate conference.
The UMF men scored first to quiet the large Colby parents weekend crowd, but then the hard-running hosts rather rudely scored the matches’ next three tries and took control of a match that UMF needed to win to keep its play-off hopes alive.
The UMF forwards, led by Joe Doughty and Adrian Ryan, began tackling and rucking like there was no tomorrow, and the UMF backs began finding space out wide and scored the next two tries to get within 2 points of their hosts by half-time.
The second half was even more wide open than the first, and the two teams exchanged leads on the scoreboard several more times before UMF finally was able to inch ahead in the matches’ final minutes.
The far less experienced Colby men really were the story of the day, because their aggressive counter-rucking and exceptional work rate over the matches full 80 minutes will certainly make them a team to watch this spring and into next season.
Next weekend the UMF men are idle and must await the final score of the match between 4-1 Bowdoin and 4-1 University of Maine at Orono. The winner of that match will also be 5-1 on the year, and the complicated bonus point tie-breaker will all hinge on whether next week’s winner can score the 4 or more tries necessary to unseat the UMF men from the top spot and a play-off berth.
UMF rugby women fall to top UNE team and narrowly miss playoffs
BIDDEFORD – On Sunday the UMF women traveled to the University of New England to put their 3-1 record on the line and take on a UNE powerhouse that had bested all comers this season by 50-plus point margins.
In the end, the UNE women had a bit too much power and experience for the young UMF ruggers, but the 27-0 final score was flattering to the hosts after a match that saw the visitors control the ball and the play for much of the time.
UMF captains Bethany Routier and Emily Gray, like the best rugby captains do, led from the front all afternoon, and the backline tackling of Jubilee “Jubes” Mcleod, Kellie Sanborn and Elizabeth McCabe was outstanding. In the forwards, Katie Stasalovich and Bri Leonard led a pack that was aggressive all afternoon.
On the season, the UMF women finished tied with Colby-Sawyer College with 3-2 records, but fell one bonus point shy of heading onward into the play-offs.
