The Yale University Rugby Football Club

Yale Gets Back on Track With Win Against Columbia

Yale was excited to begin its slate of home games after traveling for the first few weeks of the season. The Bulldogs were matched up against a relatively unknown Columbia side, who due to the bracketing of the Ivy League Tournament Yale had not played in many years. After dropping frustrating matches to Dartmouth and Brown, Yale was ready to vent their frustrations, and did so against an overmatched Columbia squad. Yale focused on utilizing fullback Ryan Vandersloot's powerful leg to keep Columbia pinned in their own end, and did so with great success. Yale dominated every phase of the game, with the forwards controlling the contact area and the backs cutting up the Lions outside. To their credit, Columbia battled hard, and looked to get back into the game when their flanker intercepted a pass near their own goal line and took off into space. However, Vandersloot made the play of the first half when he chased down the speedy flanker, making a shoestring tackle in which the Columbia player lost the ball. Freshman Mac Hull, who also had two tries on the day, hustled down the field and was in position to kick the ball out, ending the half. Yale went into the half with a comfortable 24-3 lead.

Yale continued to dominate in the second half. Columbia battled hard, but Yale was just too much. Injuries to some of Columbia's stronger players only further weakened their cause. Yale finished the game in commanding fashion.

Final Score: Yale 43 - Columbia 10

The Yale B's fought hard against a team that featured many holdovers from Columbia's A side. Columbia drew first blood with an unconverted try and a penalty to go up 8-5. However, Yale dominated the rest of the day. Yale put in one try to narrow the margin to 5-0, and applied consistent pressure for the rest of the day. However, despite hanging around Columbia's goal line for nearly the entire second half, Yale was unable to put one in, leaving the margin at 8-5.

Final Score: Yale 5 - Columbia 8

Special thanks to the Yale parents who were on hand for the first of two Parent's Weekend games. After the match, the Yale and Columbia players, along with the spectators on hand, headed to Anna Liffey's for a fantastic meal and reception. Thanks to Liffey's for providing an amazing spread at a reasonable price.