Girls rugby triumphs over Lincoln-Sudbury in MIAA semifinals
The girls rugby team won 24-14 against Lincoln Sudbury this past Wednesday, June 7.
The girls varsity rugby team advanced to the MIAA Division I rugby finals as they beat Lincoln Sudbury 24-14 at the Lincoln-Sudbury field on Wednesday, June 7 at 5:30 p.m. The Warriors will be in the final against the Belmont Marauders, the reigning champions, on Saturday, June 17 at Curry College.
The Warriors took an early lead as seniors Mira Dew and Jenna Lazowski both scored a try by putting the ball down in the opposing team’s zone and scoring five points in the first 20 minutes, with Lazowski nailing both two point conversion kicks to extend their lead to 14-0.
“I think I had one of my better games for sure. I played a couple different positions on the field, and I know I adapted to them pretty well,” Lazowski said.
Lincoln Sudbury then began to try and mount a comeback, scoring a try with under two minutes left to go in the first half. However, a crucial turnover near the try zone kept the score 14-5 at halftime.
During the second half of the game, the Warriors began to take over, with sophomore Cale Ridgeway adding another try and making the following conversion kick, adding seven points to the board and putting the Warriors up 21-5.
Lincoln Sudbury tried to claw their way back, but it was to no avail as the Warriors kept their heads in the game and repeatedly forced defensive turnovers.
Freshman Ivy Wheeler said that she believed the Warriors’ biggest strength was their defense.
“I thought our tackling was good and I thought we were communicating well and the line looked good,” Wheeler said.
Lazowski then kicked a three-point conversion to increase their lead to 24-5.
Lincoln Sudbury then began to pick up steam, scoring two additional tries in a span of 15 minutes. However, with five minutes to go, the Warriors kept them from scoring again, finishing the game with a 24-15 win, and advancing to the finals.
Coach Erik Person said that he couldn’t help but reflect on the team’s season and the early struggles they went through.
“It’s hard to keep your heads up when you start a season 0-2. It’s hard to stay motivated and everything. I think the main thing is that we never lost motivation,” Person said. “We had a young crew this year that was into it and excited from the very beginning, and they had to work extremely hard to be where they got to today. But it’s not about where you start, it’s about where you finish.”
Person said that the key to winning their next game, the finals, is to keep playing the way they have been against other teams.
“Belmont plays fast. They play organized. They’re big. We have to stay aggressive and we have to stay hungry. They’re the defending champs. They’ve taken out everybody so far this year,” Person said. “We just can’t be scared. We gotta know that we’re capable of winning and that we have to show everybody that Brookline girls rugby is going to be the best team in the league.”
