Hot Ruggers Shag Shabby Babson, 31-6; Crimson Still Undefeated in N.E. Union

The Harvard rugby club clinched a qualifying berth in the New England Championships by clobbering Babson College, 31-6, Saturday at Soldiers Field.

A crowd of more than 100 people was treated to an offensive display featuring six different ruggers scoring. Leading the attack was Nathan Koenig, who celebrated his A-side debut with a penalty kick and four two-point conversions.

Striking quickly, Harvard jumped ahead on the strength of Koenig's penalty kick to take a 3-0 lead only four minutes into the contest.

The close game broke wide open when the Crimson tallied on two breakaway tries. Co-Captain Ray LaRaja took a well-timed pitch from Mike Gibbs--who tossed the ball just as he was being hit--and scored on a breakaway run from 45 yards out.

"I saw the weak side open," Gibbs said, "and I knew Ray had the wheels to score." Koenig converted the try to increase Harvard's lead to 9-0.

With 18 minutes remaining in the first half, Rob Leavitt outran everyone after crisp passing by Gibbs and LaRaja faked out the Babson defense.

Babson took advantage of a Harvard defensive lapse to cut into the Crimson lead, 15-6. "[That was] the one single lapse of concentration by the team," Harvard Coach Martyn Kingston said.

It was also one of the few serious threats mounted by the Beavers, who only approached the Harvard goal line twice over the course of the game.

With time running out in the half, the Crimson's Scott Tierney picked up a loose ball and scored on a powerful run, bulldozing over two would-be tacklers. Koenig converted, extending the half-time lead to an imposing 21-6.

Kingston described the first-half as "the best Harvard has played at home in the fall season."

The second half saw Harvard continue its dominance, scoring 10 unanswered points. With 34 minutes remaining, the Crimson forward pack pushed the Beavers back, and Vaughn Buffalo stampeded his way through several defenders for the try.

After pinning the visitors deep in their own territory, the ruggers closed out the scoring when Deon Strickland blocked a Babson kick and lumbered in for the try.

LaRaja said the key to the game was the relentless Harvard pack, which repeatedly pushed Babson back. "Our pack totally dominated them," LaRaja said. "Things are really starting to click."

The victory sets the stage for an October 11 showdown at Boston College, with an upper-division rating in the New England Championships at stake. The Eagles also own a 2-0 league mark, and are tied for first place with Harvard in the New England Union.

"While we are confident," Kingston said, "we're not underestimating their ability."

In addition to the A-side victory, Harvard's B-side and C-sides triumphed Saturday, 16-0 and 6-4, respectively.