Oberlin’s women’s rugby squad, the Rhinoruggers, fell to the Cleveland women’s rugby club by a score of 29-12 on a beautiful Saturday afternoon on North Fields. The Rhinoruggers now stand at 7-6 on the year.

Junior Magdalene Dale scored a tri on her 21st birthday and senior captain Reba Jones also notched a goal in the loss. Both Dale and Jones’s scores were results of blazing speed, as they were able to outrun the opposition all the way down the pitch in their successful drives.

First-year Gina Farinaccio described both runs as “really spectacular.”

Jones battled shin splints throughout the game. While a lesser competitor may have bowed out, the Rhino’s captain showed why she had been bestowed that title. Jones did what any great captain in any sport does: she led by example. Not only did she take the field despite her injury, she took the ball over the line and the general consensus is that she was one of the best players on the field for Oberlin.

“[Jones] deserves a lot of credit,” said first-year Daviel Shy.

In her last game, the captain proved herself to be a warrior that even the most exacting coach or Australian roughneck would be proud to have on his side.

As in most rugby matches, there was the customary bad blood between the two sides. No Oberlin players reported dirty play per se, but it was far from a clean game.

The Iron Maidens from Cleveland were guilty of “rude comments and bad sportsmanship,” first-year Deborah Brundy said.

“There was some tension between the teams,” Farinaccio said.
The Iron Maidens are a club team and are not affiliated with any college. After playing Oberlin they will embark on a week-long trip to play in Brussels, Belgium.

While players acknowledged the disparity in size and age between the two squads, the opposition was hardly out of Oberlin’s league.

The Rhinos have defeated such powerhouses as Purdue and Ohio State’s B-team this season. Shy is pleased with the team’s improvement and has a rosy outlook for next year.

“Many other teams expect Oberlin to be an easy win. Perhaps this is because we are small, both individually and in school size,” Shy said. “Perhaps it is because we lack a coach and the funding of other teams. Maybe it has something to do with our past record. But after this season I can safely say that we have changed the expectations of the Ohio Rugby Union and all of our neighboring teams.”