{shortcode-941ebd970184ea98b517918181255ed75a216589}

Harvard women’s rugby travelled down to Princeton for a Saturday afternoon game to close out the regular season. The team was looking to make it seven out of wins in its final regular-season matchup, ultimately remaining perfect in a dominant 81-7 effort.

The game opened up with the Crimson testing the Tigers’ defense early, but Princeton started off organized and determined to hold off the dynamic Harvard team.

In the seventh minute, sophomore Dana Greer capitalized on a smart handoff from senior Tiahna Padilla to break the deadlock and get the Crimson off the mark.

This first try was the spark of momentum that Harvard needed as the offense began to build its lead quickly. Seniors Victoria Stanley and Cameron Fields exploited their pace and connected to score a try from around the halfway line. Fields followed up her first try with a second within minutes, receiving the ball from junior Ava Ference to put the Crimson ahead 17-0.

Harvard demonstrated its versatility with tries coming from both backs and forwards, with freshman Gemma Ogoke continuing her hot start to her Crimson rugby career with a try, scrambling across the try line. Greer added a second try for herself and brought the Harvard tally to 29–0.

The Crimson was able to finish the half by maximizing its offensive dominance. The team connected to get the ball wide and find Fields on the wing, allowing her to seal a first-half hat-trick. Princeton was left unable to answer Harvard in the first half, with Padilla making the final try to tie up an imposing performance and give them a 39-0 lead.

The Tigers were barely able to catch their breath as the slew of tries continued with the commencement of the second half. It took only three minutes for senior Skylar Jordan to find a gap in the Princeton defense.

The Tigers were only once able to earn respite from their defensive duties when they found a way to get off the mark in the second half, 46 –7.

The Crimson continued to flex its squad depth, as multiple players added their names to the score list. A wonderful winding run by Stanley earned herself a try, followed by sophomore Josephine Mignone.

The afternoon was rounded out by two freshmen, Madelyn Hubbell with two, and Sabine Fuchs with her first career try, to wrap up a dominant display and the final score, 81-7.

The final whistle marked the end of the regular season, turning all eyes to the postseason and the NIRA semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 15 where it will go in as the number 1 seed.

– Staff writer Rhiannon Stewart can be reached at rhiannon.stewart@thecrimson.com