Stanford 5, Alumni 30

On Sunday the annual Alumni game was held at Stueber Stadium. Due to the upcoming Thanksgiving break, the teams played 7 vs. 7, with rookies showing a strong force on Stanford's side. Even with the addition of two assistant coaches on the team, the Alumni won the game 30-5, with the majority of the Alumni tries scored by Carey Myslewski. Carey has always been very good at rugby- it is unlikely that she will ever not be good. Regardless of the score, both teams had a ton of fun. Also having fun was Jenn Fuller, who is training to become a referee and reffed her first match at this game. The Alumni enjoyed returning to their stomping ground, and it was a great experience for the rookies to see and participate in a higher level of rugby. Over the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, the Stanford Women's Rugby Team will be lifting and conditioning in preparation for their upcoming season, which kicks off with the Stanford Invitational Tournament held at Stueber Stadium on January 17-18. Hope to see you all there!

Stanford 50, UC Santa Cruz 17

A dewy morning precluded a mostly dry afternoon, as the Stanford Women's Rugby ruggers took on the Santa Cruz slug ruggers at Stueber stadium. Rebounding from the week before, "The Card" hit the line with pace, albeit sometimes lack of depth. The back line was fueled by the head swinging mistress Melissa Smit and the calm lover of life Ramine Cromartie. Hookers Janae Grijalva and Johanna Nagy enjoyed themselves as they hooked many an SC ball. Tries were scored primarily by the backs, though Frances Wehwern (flanker) touched a few down. And, oh wait, Victoria Whittaker (8 man) got one as well. In the mid-before-later part of the game, however, Santa Cruz capitalized on some Stanford missed tackles and ball ambiguity to put in a few of their own. With the diligent grilling of Ramine Cromartie and incessant fretting of Susan Dekker, the Stanford ladies shared a lovely social with Santa Cruz after the game. The women now look forward to their fitness testing and winter workouts. Though not every lady will find herself completing the running workouts out-of-doors (this winter looks to be a cold one for the nor'easters), modified cardio machine workouts will keep them on their toes.

Stanford 17, Davis Double Deckers 44

Sunday was the perfect, sunny day for rugby. The Stanford Women kicked off to a very physical Davis Double Deckers team. Throughout the game, Davis utilized their experience and aggression in the breakdown to secure clean ball and stymie Stanford efforts to break through their defensive line. The first Stanford try of the game came after flanker Ono Nseyo popped a turnover ball to flyhalf Melissa Smit. This ball was then passed through the back line to a determined flanker, Alyssa Tennant, for the score.

Throughout the rest of the first half, Stanford became more tenacious in the defensive line, led by stellar defensive performances by Ramine Cromartie and Victoria Whittaker. When Stanford was able to move the ball quickly and build multiple phases together, Davis was no match the speed and agility of the younger team. However, as the game wore on, Davis continued to batter Stanford with forward runners and pick-and-roll play around the breakdowns.

Stanford 128, St. Mary's 0

It was a cloudy Saturday morning and Stanford Women were ready for their second full 15's game of the season against the Saint Mary's Gaels. In the first minute Ono Nseyo used her speed to score the first try of the game. Stanford's young team had some trouble with kick off catches, but soon worked their way into the game, making excellent decisions off set piece and breakdowns. Within the first 20 minutes many cardinal players had scored tries, and Amelia Villines skillfully converted many kicks for the extra points. Stanford left the first half 56-0 and were ready to face forty more minutes from the Gaels.

Saint Mary's came back with a fiery kick, but did not overcome the quick and strong Cardinal. Emily Wyatt and Diana Peng made some smart moves off of scrums won by the Stanford pack and fast-moving centers ran through the Gael defensive line. Saturday was a true learning experience for the many players on the Cardinal team and Stanford reminded everyone of their talent for breaking through defensive lines and offensively dominating the game. The final score was 128-0. Stanford’s next game will be against the Davis Double Deckers 11:00 am on Sunday November 16th.

Crawford 0, Santa Clara 17

The Crawford XV took on the Santa Clara Broncos this Saturday under ideal rugby weather with slight rainfall. The game proved an excellent learning experience for all of the players on the field and a great first game for many of the rookies. The broncos got in two tries early in the game and the Crawford team wound up on its heels for the majority of the first half. Crawford struggled to support the ball carrier with depth and gain sufficient forward momentum; however, this proved a great learning experience to put our defensive line into action.

In the second half, Stanford picked up the intensity and things began to click on both defense and offense. Communication increased and the team gained needed momentum. We were able to get several breaks off our attacking scrums and got the ball going forward, playing the vast majority of the half inside Santa Clara's 22. Unfortunately, once near the try line, the team became static and flat, crowding around the ball. This made it difficult to produce quality try scoring opportunities. The final score was 17-0, Santa Clara.

Stanford 5, SF Fog 24

The rain clouds brought energy and determination to the field. The women scuffled around in mud and muck. Scrums were moved left and right in attempts to find a bit of clean land. There was much to play in and much to learn in.

Stanford traveled to Treasure Island on this stormy Saturday and left the pitch a bit more educated at the end of the day. With a newly formed team of returners and rookies, Stanford took on the Fog in what was to be a wet match.

The Fog came on strong to the field, using their forwards' front-running prowess in order to break through the Stanford defense. Stanford's one-on-one tackles improved throughout the day. The rookie play also cleaned up as mistakes were made and lessons learned.

The fog touched down and made several impressive conversions.