FARMINGTON – On Saturday in summer-like conditions the University of Maine at Farmington men’s rugby team needed a last minute try by rampaging lock Dustin Zamboni to hold back a Bates side that was, in the least, equally deserving of the win.
The Bates men, coached by former UMF rugby standout Mike Milliken, led for most of the contest. Their fitness and sure tackling kept the UMF men pinned deep in their own end for much of the second half.
With only three minutes to go on the game clock, the UMF forwards, spearheaded all day long by Joe Doughty and Zack Nadeau, regained possession and the team drove down field and ultimately Zamboni was able to bulldoze over the tryline. All that was left was for man-of-the-match Frank Makuch to make the difficult two-point conversion kick from well wide of the goal posts.
If the sweltering heat or the pressure of attempting a kick that his team’s entire season might depend on bothered Makuch, you couldn’t have told it from his demeanor. As cool as the proverbial cucumber, he slotted the kick and then helped his 14 other teammates hold off the Bates men’s furious assault in the game’s final minutes for a 27-26 win.
The UMF men’s record now goes to 3-0 and they travel to Orono next Saturday to face their longtime UMO rivals.
Two other UMF rugby notes worth mentioning are these:
Bates coach Milliken wasn’t the only former UMF standout welcomed by rugby fans on Saturday. The referee for the match was Travis Rowell, former UMF flyhalf-extraordinaire and already one of the best referees in Maine.
The UMF women’s rugby team moved to a 2-0 record when their scheduled Lyndon State College visitors opted not to travel to Farmington to take on the fast-rising UMF women. The UMF women are home next Sunday against Castleton State College in a match scheduled to kickoff at 1 p.m. on Prescott Field.
