(Photo Courtesy Adam Hatt, Norwich University)
NORTHFIELD, Vt. - In 1974, the Norwich men's rugby team beat Army. Since then -- 38 years -- no Norwich rugby team has beaten West Point. That streak ended on Saturday, when the women's rugby team, making their debut as a Division I college program, used flair and defense to beat Army, 34-15.
The historic occasion was marked by a full march down by the Corps of Cadets, a bag-pipe led entrance to the field, and a wealth of support from the Northfield community. The festive atmosphere couldn't have been better as the Cadets stormed to victory, battling a fierce and powerful USMA side.
The occasion was even more special for junior fullback Rose Bernheim (Mountain Home AFB, Idaho) who was celebrating her 20th birthday on game day. Bernheim opened scoring at the nine-minute mark with a speedy try around the edge of the defense. With the try, Bernheim becomes the all-time leading try scorer in Norwich women's rugby history. Yet the day was not finished for the birthday girl. Bernheim scored the next try at the 33-minute mark, giving Norwich a 14-0 lead, and she scored a try in the last minute of play – giving her a total of three on the day.
"Rose is definitely a scorer," remarked NU head coach Austin Hall, "but she is truly the consummate team player. She chased down an Army breakaway early in the first half that was huge towards us keeping the psychological edge. She gets involved in all the trench work as well."
With two tries from Bernheim and two conversions from senior flyhalf Emily Baugus (Kingsville, Texas), the Cadets led 14-0 at the half. The real story of the 1st half however, was the remarkable defense played by the Cadets deep in their own end of the field. For 15 minutes, and multiple phases of play, the Cadets stymied every Army attack.
Freshman center Ally Day opened scoring in the second half, after just 40 seconds of play. Day took a ball down the right side of the field and danced and sped her way to the left side of the field as she outpaced most of the Army backfield. With Baugus's third successful conversion, the Cadets led 21-0 with 39 minutes left to play.
Army came back strong facing the deficit. They controlled much of the next 20 minutes of play, notching two tries of their own within 6 minutes of the Day try. A successful penalty kick by Army star Anne Lee in the 32nd minute of the 2nd half cut the score to 21-15 – and put Army just one converted try away from the lead.
The Cadets would not back down. With three minutes left to play, Baugus found herself in penalty kick range, though she faced a stiff wind, directly in her face. She opted to go for the points, which would put the score margin back to a two-score game. She was successful and with only minutes to play, the Cadets led 24-15.
For those who thought the game had winded down at this point, there was much left in store. With a minute to play, Bernheim raced in for her third. And then, after the final horn, senior hooker Christine Aye crashed in on a short yardage play to add one more try to the final.
"The support of the university and community were overwhelming today," added Hall. "We proved that we belong alongside the premier Division I teams in the country and we now must continue to grow what we've created. This was a total team effort to beat the women from West Point – our work rate and our commitment to playing a beautiful game stood out as keys to victory."
Norwich (5-0) will face the University of Connecticut on Saturday, September 15 in their first conference game of the season.
Line-up: 1 – Annis; 2 – Aye; 3 – Zaweski; 4 – Blankenship (McGuire); 5 – Weppner; 6 – McElroy; 7 – Bell; 8 – Champagne; 9 – Oor; 10 – Baugus; 11 – Clark; 12 – Day; 13 – Derocher; 14 – Vogt (Colesworthy); 15 – Bernheim
Tries: Bernheim (3), Aye, Day
Conversions: Baugus 3/5
Penalty Kicks: Baugus ½
Half-time: 14-0 Norwich
Final: 34-15 Norwich
-CADETS-
