Month: June 2015

Beantown plays with heart and determination, but comes up short in the attempt to beat the Seattle Saracens, in the finals of the D1 Nationals Championship.

In sunny, warm conditions on a beautiful field at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado, Beantown matched up against the Seattle Saracens to see who would take the 2015 USA Rugby D1 Championship. With their strength in their backs, Seattle started the game by putting Beantown on the defensive, putting in two converted tries in the first ten minutes. But soon Beantown rallied back with strong forwards, piling the entire pack over the line to score our first try. After that, Seattle and Beantown traded tries: Seattle with points at about 26 minutes, a penalty try for Beantown at about 34 minutes, after Seattle’s pack was unable to hold up under the pressure of Beantown’s scrum working for a pushover try. After another try for Seattle, the game went into halftime with Beantown down by 7 points.

The second half started with another try for Seattle at 49 minutes. And then…the skies started flashing with lightning, thunder started booming, and the rain came pouring down. The game was suspended for safety at 50 minutes and everyone was sent to the locker rooms for a mandatory 30 minute delay, which turned into a long, grueling, 2+ hours delay as everyone waited anxiously for word that the game would be allowed to resume.

Finally, in a torrential downpour under the lights, officials deemed it safe for players to step back onto the pitch and begin again. The long delay didn’t hurt Beantown’s players, however – back on the field, players in red and blue dominated the play and territory, settling in the the offensive zone. Scrumhalf Liza was able to grab a misplayed ball from SEattle’sscrum and zip in for the score, bringing the totals to 24-31 at about the 64 minute mark. Beantown kept the intense pressure up, coming close to scoring a few times, with Seattle desperately able to clear the ball. Unfortunately, the tying score never came and the final whistle blew, leaving Beantown with the title of D1 Runner-Up.

Read the play-by-play on Storify

Halftime score: 19-26
Final score vs. Seattle: 24-31

Beantown Tries: Sam, scrum penalty try, Jaimie, Liza; Conversions: Jones (2)

Though every player on Beantown wished for a different outcome to this final match, we are proud of a strong season and to have won the title of second best D1 women’s team in the United States. This journey would not have been possible without the incredible support from our friends, family, fans, and alumnae. Thank you for all that you’ve done to support Beantown this season.

See more of Calvin Alexander’s photos from the match on Facebook

Beantown heads to Denver, CO for the National Championship Match after a victory against Pittsburgh.

First, a brief history lesson is necessary in order to really understand this game. In the spring of 2014, an under-staffed Beantown D2 side met the Pittsburgh Angels in Pittsburgh in the semifinals of the D2 Nationals and were trounced 99-0. This year, Pittsburgh moved up to D1 and arrived in Charlotte to face Beantown’s D1 side in another hot, dusty match in the semifinals of the D1 Nationals.

In the first minute of the game, it appeared Pittsburgh would start with the advantage, when they marched straight down the field using very wide punch balls to score…or maybe not. Instead of a try, the ref blew the whistle and called play back for a forward pass.

After that wakeup call, Beantown put the first points on the board with a try from Ali and a conversion from Jones. Pittsburgh responded with their won try by the 10 minute mark – but before the half, Beantown pulled well ahead with three additional tries, to be up 24-7 at halftime.

The first minute of the second half felt like deja vu – except this time Beantown was the team into the tryzone within seconds, and this time the try was NOT called back. Pittsburgh still hung in there, using their wide punches effectively and keeping Beantown working hard. But the strength of Beantown’s bench came into play, as sub after strong, fresh sub came on, making a clear and obvious impact on the pitch. Pittsburgh got two more tries in the second half, but Beantown answered with three for a decisive final score of 48-17.

Read the play-by-play on Storify

Halftime score: 24-7
Final score vs. Pittsburgh: 48-17

Beantown Tries: Ali, Jones (2), JP, Kat P (2), Kate O, and Mary; Conversions: Jones (4)

The next step after this victory is traveling to Denver, CO for the National Championship! Big thanks to all of our fans, near and far. Players are feeling the support of friends, family, and alums, near and far. Particular thanks to the generosity of those who have made a donation to our fundraising page. If you’ve not given yet, please consider making a gift today.