Women Ruggers Plunder UNH, 13-6

The Radcliffe rugby team did not have any particular plans for yesterday afternoon. But when the University of New Hampshire called up and asked the squad if it was interested in playing a little rugby, the Black and White jumped at the chance.

And Radcliffe then jumped all over UNH, 13-6, yesterday at Soldiers Field in preparation for the Mayors Cup tournament next weekend at Smith Field in Cambridge.

"It was good for us to get in this action before next week," Co-Captain Eliza Schwarz said. "Otherwise, we would have been in the dark going into the tournament."

The Crimson parlayed the big plays from its backfield and a relentless pack attack to down the Wildcats.

Co-Captain and scrum-half Cherie Silvera got the ruggers on the scoreboard with a try on a five-meter scrummage 10 minutes into the game. Schwarz converted the try to put Radcliffe up, 6-0.

"That really got the team going," Schwarz said. "We have a lot of new players and they got really psyched up after that score."

Leading the pack was prop Anne Moon.

"She displayed amazing endurance," Schwarz said. "She was out there tackling like a maniac."

Fullback Cheri Curry gave Radcliffe a 10-0 lead when she ran 10 meters for a try. They play began at about the 40-meter line when Curry executed an up-and-under kick. The ball bounced over the heads of the Wildcats. Curry snatched the ball at the 10-meter line and scampered the distance for the try.

After UNH came back with a try of its own to cut Harvard's lead to 10-6, Schwarz came back with a 25-yard penalty kick with 10 minutes remaining.

In its first action of the season, the Black and White B-side fell, 4-0, to the Wildcats.

"They put in a very valiant effort," Schwarz said.