Dartmouth men's rugby punctuated an impressive season with a run to the USA Rugby Elite Eight this weekend in the National Playoffs, held at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.
Dartmouth came out strong on Saturday and pummeled No. 5 Ohio State 40-20 before losing to No. 2 Penn State 53-0 in the semifinals.
The Big Green dominated the Buckeyes in all phases of the game and opened scoring three minutes into the first half when flanker Mark Goodson '06 capitalized on a loose ball to score Dartmouth's first try. Outside Center Aziz Sayigh '07 added another try in the 18th minute and brought the Dartmouth lead to 12-0.
After two Ohio State penalty kicks that brought the score to 12-6, Dartmouth responded and widened the gap to 21-6 before halftime with three converted penalties by fullback and co-captain Andrew Caspary '06.
Dartmouth quashed any chance of a Buckeye comeback with a try to open the second half as Sayigh found the try zone for the second time in the 42nd minute after a 20-meter line break by flanker Henry Tarmy '06.
In the 50th minute, open phase play got the ball to lock Anthony Gargiulo '06 who stormed through the Ohio State defense for the try and made the score 35-6. After Dartmouth stole a Buckeye scrum in the 65th minute, Goodson found the try zone again to finish the Dartmouth tally at 40. However, Ohio State was able to punch in two tries in the closing minutes of the match to bring the score to the 40-20.
The Big Green's offensive phase play was solid but inconsistent, while the team's offense remained organized and fierce throughout the contest. The game was ultimately decided by the extraordinary play of the Dartmouth scrum, which consistently manhandled Ohio State.
"Making the Elite Eight is a great honor, and a testament to the strength of our program," Caspary said. "It is an achievement for a team from a school like Dartmouth to be beating up on a school with tens of thousands of students to draw from."
In Sunday's quarterfinal match against rugby powerhouse the Nittany Lions, Dartmouth came out hard but could never put together the thrust needed to score. In the end, Penn State's defense proved stalwart and the offense capitalized on the Big Green's miscues.
However, the final score of 53-0 did not accurately reflect the fierceness with which Dartmouth played the game.
"The Penn State side was probably the best side we have faced in the United States. They were very disciplined and physical," Big Green co-captain Joe Boswell '06 said. "They did have some weaknesses, but we were not able to exploit them."
The national quarterfinal loss signaled the end of the road for the Big Green, a team led by seniors. Members of the class of 2006 accounted for 13 of the 15 starters on this year's team and were responsible for returning the club to its proud tradition of national prominence.
The task of leading the rugby club through the transition period falls on the shoulders of newly elected co-captains Tom Manzo '07, Sayigh and social chair Omar Foda '07.
"The class of 2006 took rugby at Dartmouth to a whole new level," Sayigh said. "They were icons on and off the field and, in many ways, will be irreplaceable."
After Nationals, the club will play several games this spring and reconvene on August 30 to begin the 2006-2007 campaign.
"I like the character of the new regime. The new side has fresh, new blood with a few experienced veterans to lead the way," Boswell said. "I have confidence in Manzo and Aziz under the wise direction of Mags. The DRFC is capable of anything these days, most definitely being a national contender."
