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Matt Jones was late to the rugby game on Saturday. He said his alarm did not go off. But when he arrived at Lengyel Field Saturday afternoon, just after the game’s 2 p.m. start, he realized his team did not have to wait for him.
To Jones’ surprise, UMaine had already taken a 7-0 lead over visiting Bates. The Black Bears, who had not won a game in three seasons before their triumph last Saturday at Farmington, seemed destined to improve their record to 2-0 this past weekend. With just a few veterans, but many more all-star-like freshman, the Black Bears did just that.
Freshman Rocco Andruzzi scored three tries, and senior Mark Grimes and freshman Stephon Skarks each added a score themselves.
With four conversion kicks by Tony Desjardin, the Black Bears put 33 points on the scoreboard. The bigger story, however, was their play on defense. UMaine earned their first shutout in four years, with the 33-0 victory.
Their 2-0 start is their best since 2003.
“Everyone played really well together,” said senior co-captain Jason Jendrasko. “Everyone played their position well and there was really good communication on the field.”
Jendrasko, along with fellow seniors Will Dow and Mark Grimes, has not seen their team win since their freshman season. They say it is because of the talent of the young players that the team is winning. They also say that this years team is the largest rugby team at UMaine in some time.
“It’s pretty exciting to see the people that are showing interest and devotion to the team and coming to practice,” said Jendrasko. “And because of that we are doing well.”
The Black Bears will try to keep their winning streak alive when they play at home again next Saturday against Colby. Jendrasko says that he thinks Colby will be the team’s toughest opponent, but that the team is as excited to win as it has ever been.
“Coming off of the last two years we’re all on a rush right now,” Jendrasko said. “We hope to go on and win everything because we have a solid team.”
After Colby, UMaine’s rugby men of adventure will take on Bowdoin and Maine Maritime Academy, both on the road, to finish up their season. Another win should guarantee the team a playoff spot.
With all of the hype and success surrounding the 2005 UMaine men’s rugby club, Jones says he is going to start coming to practice on time.
The UMaine women’s rugby club, who had a strong spring season last year, got off to a slow start on Saturday, losing their first contest of the season 14-5. The women’s team also played Bates. With the loss they fall to 0-1 on the season.
On the women’s side, Bates is one of the tougher teams in the conference. The UMaine women play Colby this weekend, also at home, then take on Bowdoin on the road.
Although her team lost, senior inside center Kylie Newman was pleased with her young team’s play.
“We definitely stepped up,” she said. “The majority of our team is rookies. I’m so proud of the rookies that played.”
Under the guidance of head coach Tim Guillerault, in his second season, the Black Bears will look to finish strong and make the playoffs.
UMaine’s one try came from Ashley Medeiros, a freshman who plays wing.
