Maddogs Come From Behind, Take Down Undefeated Amherst College
Tuesday October 25, 2005
By Ross Shepard
The Maddogs traveled to Amherst College for the first round of the NERFU Playoffs on Saturday, taking the match in dramatic fashion from the previously undefeated Lord Jeffs 19-16.
The temperature was around 40 degrees at kickoff, and the Northeastern side started out just as cold. Numerous mental mistakes forced the Dogs to play on their heels against the dangerous Amherst squad.
Amherst managed to score first, converting on two out of three kicks for points. The Dogs added a try in the corner off of a lineout turned maul to keep it close, but failed to convert the kick.
Just before halftime the Lord Jeffs tacked on another try, and the sides broke with Northeastern trailing 16-5.
Realizing that time was slipping away on their season, Northeastern regrouped at halftime, entering the second half as a different club. The Maddogs played their own brand of rugby, wasting little time as they scored a try in the first few minutes to make the score 16-12.
Amherst College did not quit, and continued to put up a fight as they spent some time in Northeastern's territory. The Maddog defense was unrelenting, and pressure from the Maddog pack turned the ball over. The Dogs capitalized by putting another try on the board and converting the kick. Northeastern had scored 14 unanswered points and was now in the lead 19-16.
The final effort from the Amherst side came with a few minutes left. The ball remained five meters from Northeasterns' try line, but the Maddog pack dug in and the back line stopped any attempt at moving the ball out.
The Maddogs handed Amherst their first loss of the season and moved on to the semi-final round of the NERFU Playoffs. This Saturday the Dogs will continue their playoff run at home against rival club Dartmouth. Northeastern will look to avenge their early season loss to the 17th ranked team in the country.
The match will be held at Parsons Field, with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. Directions to the field can be found here.