NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich men's rugby team cruised to a dominant 77-5 home opening win over Providence College on Saturday afternoon, kicking off NEWCRC play with little troubles against the Friars at the Dog River Rugby Pitch.

Rashawn Fraser (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) opened things up for the Cadets, logging back-to-back tries to push Norwich ahead, 10-0.  Leo Clayburgh (Brussels, Belgium) posted four conversions, while Jacob Sherman, Marius Edwards (Unity, N.H.), and Brantley Ledbetter (Birmingham, Ala.) also added subsequent tries, with Edwards tallying three in a row to extend a 19-0 lead to 34-0.  Dumisani Janda recorded a conversion towards the end of the game to give the Cadets a 72-0 edge.

After Janda's try, the Friars finally broke through their scoreless drought courtesy of Ryan Nerney, but the Cadets neutralized the score with a try by Ledbetter to result in the 77-5 final.

The Cadets will resume play at home on Saturday at 2 p.m., hosting Coast Guard at the Dog River Rugby Pitch as part of the Parents & Family Weekend festivities.