Freshmen Star in Women's Rugby's 111-5 Win Over Yale

UPDATED: September 22, 2015, at 4:20 a.m.

Breaking a record is no easy feat. Playing a pivotal role in setting a single-game team point record at your first home game, in your first season, against your archrivals, is monumental.

Such was the case for freshmen Sarah Lipson, Susie Clements, and Caitlin Weigel, as the Harvard women’s rugby team thrashed Yale, 111-5, in its Ivy opener on Saturday. This is the first time that Harvard has allowed points to Yale since becoming a varsity squad; in the two prior meetings, the Crimson thrashed the Elis by a combined score of 138-0.

Though the win was undoubtedly a team effort with 14 players scoring tries, the trio of freshman stood out for their individual efforts in the win: both Lipson and Weigel recorded a game-high three tries, and Clements executed seven conversions and a try of her own.

“All of our freshmen this year who have seen playing time have just made an enormous contribution to the team,” co-captain Hope Schwartz, a former Crimson sports editor, said. “Over the past couple of years we’ve graduated some pretty talented seniors, so to have people come on the team and right away start to make an impact like they have has really elevated our level of play.”

This season marks the first time a recruited class takes the field for the women’s rugby team, as the team has only been varsity for two years.

That impact was visible from the start of the match on Saturday. Within three minutes of kickoff, Clements passed the ball to Weigel, who broke through the Bulldogs' defenders for the first try of the game. Later on in the first half, Clements again took possession of the ball out wide and passed it to Lipson, who scored another try for the Crimson.

“Offensively we attacked really strong, we just kept driving our legs,” Weigel said. “I’m really happy with my performance, especially in the second half. I’m also very critical of myself sometimes, but I’m really happy with how, as the game went on, I got more comfortable and better.”

Wiegel, a two time All-American and Ohio native, has been playing rugby since her sophomore year of high school.

A long kick from Clements and an ensuing try from Weigel highlighted the second half. The long kick from Clements bounced over a Yale defender into the arms of Wiegel, who would run it in for one of the best tries of the match, breaking the 90-point mark for Harvard. Clements repeated that success in another downfield kick that Lipson managed to score off.

Clements, who played for Scotland’s U19 team, has become the de facto kicker on the squad and a regular starter. Coming to America, she mentioned she’s definitely happy to see rugby taking off in America.

“From a British perspective, it’s great to see the sport growing over here and seeing the crowds of people,” Clements said.

Building off the momentum of her side's strong first half, Clements took possession of the ball and drew Yale’s defense in before pitching it to junior Mariah Turner and then Genevieve Quirion for a try just minutes into the second half. The trio of Clements, Weigel, and Lipson would tally seven tries before the end of the game.

After a relatively short preseason, players noted that the game was a great opportunity to let a young squad play together. At least one freshman has scored in both regular season games and a preseason game so far.

“What really stood out overall was that a lot of our tries came off of setting up our game plan and executing our game plan as we’ve practiced, so it was really exciting to see that working for us,” Schwartz said. “It gives us a lot of confidence going into harder matches where we’re really going to have to work the game plan and be challenged.”

Lipson, who only started playing rugby this fall, has acclimated to rugby quite well.

“[The kick and chase] is something that Susie and I have been working on,” Lipson said. “To actually see that, have it happen and work in a game was a pretty nice moment.”

As freshmen, Clements, Lipson, and Weigel face the difficulties of transitioning to a new environment. For all of the freshman on the squad, rugby has become more than just a game, it’s become a family.

“The team is great, it’s one of my favorite parts of being here at Harvard,” Weigel said. “We got to spend almost all of Opening Days together, we eat dinner together like every night, and it’s just a really great family and group of girls to have and have your back.”