Teams: | MIT vs Upper Valley |
Played: | 10/06/2018 @ MIT |
Score: | 50 - 12 MIT win |
Following an impromptu bye week forced by an unplayable field in New London, MIT took on D3 newcomers Upper Valley at home on a beautiful Fall afternoon in Cambridge. There were no signs of rust as MIT quickly made progress through strong running from outside centre Alex S and winger Eric, before putting together some tidy phases from the forwards inside the opposition 22, eventually leading to a try for outhalf and star kicker John G.
Another try soon followed from a similar pattern, with powerful running from Erik, Caleb and Brian forcing Upper Valley to commit numbers in tight. MIT took advantage of this as the backs spun the ball wide to inside centre John L who gave the key assist to Alex S in the corner.
With front rows Nick, Caleb and Zach providing a strong platform from the scrum, Alex S scored a beauty of a try under the posts, on a move straight from the training ground.
As the half progressed and MIT continued to control possession, the game began to loosen up, and errors started to creep in. Caleb and Ike took advantage of the more chaotic environment to add a try each before the half, and MIT went to the break up 33-0.
As in the first half, MIT got out of the blocks quickly, with long line breaks from Kenniel and Michael, and strong support play from Jordan. A quick tapped penalty from James, finally back on the field after a long absence due to a sore knee, found its way to Alex S out wide, who again could not be stopped, and touched down in the corner to secure his hat-trick for the day. A fine accomplishment, although outside backs Erik, Eric and Ike may have been wondering what they had done to Alex to dissuade him from passing the ball.
Kenniel, after several long breaks which were foiled by the opposition fullback, finally found space from a midfield carry, and showed impressive pace for a second row to beat the cover defence to the corner, for his first try in an MIT shirt.
To their credit, Upper Valley never once relented, and got the better of MIT in the remainder of the second half, winning a slew of penalties at the breakdown, executing accurately at the lineout, and scoring two tries from searing running lines in the backs.
With time expiring in the second half, MIT won a midfield penalty, which outhalf John G expertly dispatched down the line to set up one last attacking lineout, five yards from goal. A textbook lineout and driving maul was finished off by Caleb, allowing MIT to cap off an impressive, although inconsistent performance, on a high note.
The team is now faced with a gruelling three game away stretch at New London, Mad River, and Springfield, which figures to be pivotal in their playoff ambitions for this year.