Jen Manzi '10 (left) and Jessica Pierce '10 (with ball) battle against Malloy in a victory on Sunday.
Putting a proper ending on the best season in Fairfield history is the only thing on the minds of the women’s rugby team. With a victory over Molloy on Sunday afternoon, the team moved one step closer to its goal.
Fairfield defeated Molloy 72-10, continuing its undefeated season and placing the team in the MET Division III Finals against Hofstra on Sunday at 1 p.m.
“It was great, we really played well as a team,” senior and club president Seana Mazzarino said. “In all our 15 years we have never won a playoff game, so we were really excited when we won.”
The Lady Ruggers finished the regular season 5-0-1 after a losing season last year. Their key victory of the season came against Sacred Heart back on Sept. 13 with a 13-12 victory.
Fairfield also picked up a key 20-20 tie with Hofstra on Oct. 4, which earned the Lady Ruggers the top seed in the MET playoffs.
The 30-player team is led by two seniors, forward captain Jessica Pierce and back captain Jen Manzi . Pierce scored a try against Molloy on Sunday, while Sam Nester had two tries.
Head coach Ryan Birge graduated from Fairfield in 2005 and said that the big win on Sunday will set the Lady Ruggers up well for the championship.
The Lady Ruggers are undersized compared to Hofstra, but has not let that stop them all season. They were able to grit out the tie against Hofstra in the first match of the season, but will have to find another strong effort within to pick up a victory on Sunday.
“It’s so exciting to be part of the season we’ve had and to see that our hard work has paid off. To be with a group of girls this dedicated and talented is really an honor,” Pierce said.
“It isn’t over yet though, we’ll be training all week in preparation for Hofstra and hopefully some great matches against teams outside of our league after Sunday’s match.”
Leave a Reply