Cornell Swamps Ruggers, 8-0 Crimson Lose First of Season

A shorthanded Harvard rugby team made the six-and-a-half hour trek to Ithaca this weekend only to be turned away by a hungry Cornell squad, 8-0.

The Big Red outkicked and outhustled the Crimson in Saturday's mudbath, sending Harvard, which had entered the contest with a 2-0 record, to its first defeat of the young season.

As if the howling wind atop Cayuga's waters had not crippled the Harvard attack enough, the Crimson was robbed of three of its starting players by injuries and the LSAT plague.

The remainder of the squad was no match for Cornell, as they were literally blown away in the first half when the Big Red enjoyed the wind advantage, then failed to capitalize on the constant pressure they applied with the wind at their backs.

Cornell's domination began on the opening play of the game when Harvard fullback Sal D'Agostino misjudged a kick and a Cornell winger pounced on it in the end zone for a try and a quick 4-0 lead. D'Agostino, who otherwise turned in one of Harvard's few strong performances all afternoon, played clay pigeon again before the half when he missed a tackle on Cornell's second try of the game, a 25-yard run which put them ahead, 8-0.

In the second half, Harvard threatened several times but couldn't score as the backs had trouble holding on to the slippery ball and the scrum continually lost loose balls to the tenacious Cornell scrummers.