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The University of Maine men’s rugby team destroyed Hamilton College of New York on Saturday’s playoff game at Lengyel Field.
Coming off a strong win against Brown University, the Black Bears built on that momentum with a convincing win of 53-3.
The team had a balanced scoring attack from the team, including multiple scores by seniors Rocco Andreozzi and Andrew Higgins who have had great games throughout the season. The Black Bears also cracked down on defense, as they held Hamilton to only a field goal. The team, coached by 2007 UMaine graduate and current project engineer Mark Grimes and economic professor George Criner, put in many hours of strength and conditioning drills throughout the week and were happy to see the hard work finally pay off.
“The team carried it out very well, and we see the results. They stayed focused, had the fitness with them, and made few errors,” Criner said.
Hamilton came out strong in the first half and made a few advances down the field, but the Black Bears soon took control and dominated for the rest of the game. The balanced scoring and stifling defense proved to be too much for Hamilton as the Black Bears scored eight tries and earned one of their biggest wins of the season. With the win, the team is now ranked in the top five in the country, certainly a high point of the season.
“One of the best things of the season thus far is taking second place in New England for the first time in our history and beating No. 5-ranked Brown to secure a home playoff game,” co-president and co-captain Tony Purpura said. “The worst would have to be our two losses, a tough one to UNH, but it turned out to be beneficial because it refocused us.”
The team will advance to the Northeast Rugby Union’s U.S. Regional Finals at West Point next weekend. This is the UMaine team’s third playoff game this season, following a win over Brown University and a loss to Middlebury College.
Coach Criner believes that his team has what it takes to win, as long as they keep the intensity and focus.
“At this level in the playoffs, a few mistakes can cost you the game. This is where the focus comes in. If we stay focused and play very hard, we can stay with about any team.”
The Black Bears are currently 2-1 in the playoffs this season.
Bangor Daily News