COLCHESTER, Vt. – The Cadets men's rugby team (3-1) handed a 55-3 loss to the Purple Knights of Saint Michael's College on Saturday in Colchester, Vt.

Norwich was already on the board in the first five minutes of action due to junior prop, captain Joey-Mac Dizon. The half followed with scores in the 20^th minute by sophomore flanker Josh Nowak, the 30^th minute by junior second row Jason Heiser, and on converted tries in the 35^th and 40^th minutes with efforts from sophomore center James Plamondon and #8 sophomore, vice-captain Aaron Botenhagen.

The score at halftime read 29-0 and the Cadets were far from done with the Purple Knights. Just five minutes into the second frame, freshman prop Richard Ahearn added to the scoreboard on a converted try, as freshman teammate followed up with another converted try.  Sophomore wing Stefan Wourinen scored in the corner in the 65^th minute.

The Purple Knights were finally able to make their way into the Cadets zone, earning their three points on a penalty kick.

Norwich had the final say, however, and in the 75^th minute as the clock ticked down, sophomore Michael Brooks scored the final points to end the game at 55-3.

"We had a good hard week of preparation and it paid off today," head coach Bob Weggler said. "It was good to see the dynamic rugby. We did a much better job this week with the go-forward play, both the backs and the forwards."

The Cadets Second Side also saw positive action on the field, keeping the Purple Knights in another single-digit effort with a 43-5 finale.

"It was good to see a lot of new players get experience, valuable experience," Weggler said. "It was an all-around good team effort."

This week is full of action for the Norwich Rugby squads. Freshmen host Dartmouth College on Thursday, while the Varsity squad is home on Sunday versus the Rhode Island Rams. On Monday, the freshman side takes the field again, hosting the UVM Catamounts.