MIT open season with tough home win against Boston Maccabi

MIT anxiously awaited the kick off for this game for several weeks, having endured a tough preseason in preparation for a more competitive fall season this year. Conditions proved to be very tough indeed with temperatures over 90F taking the toll on all players involved. This game was a rematch of the NERFU Cup final from May and though both teams had personnel changes with MIT welcoming flankers Cody P and Mick O'C back from injury while bidding adieu to visiting students Hugo C and Kenji C, it was expected to be a close encounter.
Still smarting from their defeat to MIT in the spring, Maccabi started brighter by exploiting some sloppy fringe defense and scoring an unconverted try. MIT responded almost immediately through vice-captain Anthony "Toro" S. After a short water break at twenty minutes due to the temperature, Maccabi once again started brightly by scoring an unconverted try, which prompted MIT to up the tempo of the game scoring two tries and converting one. The second of these in particular was a joy for the large attendence to behold as it involved some lovely interplay between the backs and forwards that eventually led to prop Jarrad L. crashing through in the right corner. Fly-half John G. converted from the side to put MIT seven points ahead. Maccabi were to have the last word in the first half scoring a converted try to level the game right at the end of play. The game hung in the balance.
The second half started with MIT employing some early subsitutions to help inject some urgency into the game. Zach B replaced prop Jarrad L and later flanker Frank O'S replaced Cody P on a day that would be particularly tough on the forwards. The team seemed to respond and once again took the lead after five minutes of the second half through winger Jake M after a wonderous pass from Cody P (just before he left the field), which was again converted. This kicked off a period of dominance for MIT in which they scored fourteen unanswered points and knocked on another two opportunities on the Maccabi try line. One of these scores can be attributed to the pressure exerted by centre John LeB who particularly blocked a clearing kick that landed fortuitously into the hands of the well placed Toro who cut a line straight under the posts. Maccabi continued to battle in the second half and reduced the margin to seven points with a little over twentieth minutes remaining. The last quarter was poised to be a big one.
MIT continued to exercise their bench introducing Martin C for Gallen T in the second row, Alan Z for Nick A in the front row, and Alex B for Jake S in the back line. The added impetus of fresh legs helped MIT push towards the final whistle with greater endeavour after the powerful heat exhausted many players. Maccabi were camped on the line for most of the last quarter and this pressure yielded a try with five minutes remaining in the game to reduce the deficit to five points. The game was on a knife's edge.
MIT emptied their bench with flanker Ruaridh MacD and winger Jose Z coming in for Augustus "Bruiser" L and Jake M respectively. MIT ran in two great tries in the last five minutes to put the game beyond doubt, one of which came from great hands between recently introduced forwards Martin C and Frank S, the latter offloading to the ever exuberant Brandon "Hacksaw" P. who proved a continuous thorn in the side for Maccabi. The last try came from more pressure on the Maccabi defense that left a hole for winger Jose Z to exploit in the corner after scrum half Marc S. switched play to the left exposing the oppositions defensive frailty.