GRR: Sacred Heart
Harvard laid down a statement win over the weekend with a 48-19 defeat of Quinnipiac in Week Two of NIRA action.
Making their debut in NIRA Princeton got a warm rugby welcome from Sacred Heart to the tune of a 53-21 defeat handed out by the Pioneers.
Sacred Heart welcomed Princeton into the NCAA rugby sorority with an emphatic 53-21 defeat of the Tigers.
Alyssa Cunningham logged 19 points on seven conversions and a try, while Fabiola Millien-Faustin touched down twice in a solid team effort for Sacred Heart. Millien-Faustin's first try took less than three minutes to score and the Pioneers led 31-0 at halftime.
Sacred Heart, which won the Tri-State Conference in the fall of 2016 and finished 2nd in 2017, is shifting to the New England Wide Conference for the 2017-18 season.
Head Coach Ray Peterson said that the move was precipitated by a desire for more consistent competition, and also travel considerations.
RPI defeated Sacred Heart 32-27 to win the Tri-State Conference for the second time in three years.
"We were able to prove what we thought, which is we're able to play at a top level for a full game," said hooker Ray Lanzillo, who led a strong forward effort, especially in the lineouts. "We always come out really hard, but in this game we played hard for a full 80 minutes."