Sunday, October 5th, 2003
By Lori Herbert

It was a banner day for Boston sports fans…not only did the Patriots and Red Sox win, but so did the Northeastern University Maddogs in what might have been the most fiercely contested game of the season The Dogs beat Dartmouth University 20-19 at Madison Park for the first time in a decade in the fall season. In fact, it was a wipeout for the Big Green, who left Beantown with significant losses on the B and C sides as well.

The game started under sunny skies and a stiff wind with Dartmouth scoring early with a try and a conversion goal. The Dogs, buoyed by the crowd, responded with a try. Back and forth, Dartmouth scored another try, and so did Northeastern, to end the half Dartmouth 12, Northeastern 10.

The Maddogs came out ferociously in the second half, scoring a try. The Big Green attempted a penalty kick, which failed. Dartmouth then scored a try and a conversion kick to lead 19-15. Unfortunately for Dartmouth, their next attempt at a penalty kick failed, and so did their last attempts at increasing their score. Northeastern battled to rack up what would be the winning try of the game. A questionable call during the last few moments of the game sent a Maddog player to the Sin Bin, leaving the Dogs down a man and their backs to the wall. Under immense pressure Northeastern held their ground, final score 20-19.

The wind was definitely an issue. The Hood blimp, attempting to cover the Sox game at Fenway, repeatedly drifted back to Madison Park. Although the wind gusts made things tough for the kickers, the Dogs’ kicking game was powerful nonetheless. Also, once again, the scrums were extremely forceful, easily dominating their opponents.

As noted earlier, it was W-W-W for the Dogs as they played three sides and won them all. Both B and C sides played with intensity in outstanding games--both shut-outs--with the B side winning 40-0 and the C side winning 15-0. If these scores are any indication, the Maddogs can look forward to many victories in the years to come.

Among the many fans in attendance were some of the alumni players, who offered their remarks about the team, particularly on the way the Maddogs are working together under the leadership of Coach Sean O’Leary. Alum Phil Ciccarelli noted that the Dogs are playing “inspired rugby.” “It was a great win. They played together and they played hard.”