Rivals await rugby
The Utah State rugby teams are looking to pick up a pair of wins as both the men’s and women’s squads face bitter in-state rivals BYU and the University of Utah this weekend.
The men’s squad is coming off a big win against Weber State two weeks ago, where they handled the Wildcats 20-7. The win was encouraging, members of the team said, and sends them into tomorrow’s contest against the Utes with a much-needed shot in the arm. The Utes, who will be playing their first game of the season, are a nationally ranked powerhouse and are heavily favored to win.
But that hasn’t deterred the Aggies.
“We’ve got a good team this year. We’ve been playing well and practicing hard,” said Porter Macey, a junior in his second season with the team. “I think we got what it takes to win.”
Pat Giles, a senior and four-year veteran of the team, said the Aggies will have to play harder and better against the Utes than they did against Weber.
“(The Utes) are an organized team. It’s gonna take a lot to beat them,” Giles said.
As for the women’s team, they’ll start their season at home tomorrow at 11 a.m. at the HPER field as they host the visiting Cougars. The women’s team did play an exhibition match two weeks ago against the Salt Lake City Slugs, which they lost. But with the beginning of the regular season about to kick off, they’re looking to get a fresh start.
“We’re a very green team, but the girls show up and work hard,” Head Coach Theresa Pitts-Singer said. “BYU may be an experienced team, but it doesn’t mean we can’t give them a good game.”
BYU has a roster nearly three times as large as that of Utah State’s. This not only presents a concern for experience (or lack thereof for Utah State), but also of conditioning. Many of the members of Aggie squad will play the entire game without substitutions, while the Cougars will have the luxury of resting that only depth can provide.
When asked what the key would be to winning the game against the in-state rival, Sarah Barlow, a sophomore and rookie to the team, said it would be communication, playing together as a team and “running really, really fast.”