Tuesday, April 19th, 2005
By Drew Hamlin

The last time the Maddogs traveled to the Beast of the East tournament two years ago in Portsmouth, R.I., the tournament had to be cancelled due to heavy rains and muddy fields. This year, the great weather may have been a sign for what was to come. The Maddogs started the tournament off by playing Division I newcomer Yale. The Maddogs jumped out to an early lead when a quick ball to the backs created a hole for an easy try. The try lulled the Dogs to sleep as Yale was able to take control of the game scoring a try and keeping the Dogs in the defensive end. This setup another try as a Yale player was able to steal a pass right inside the 22 meter line and score an easy try.

The second half was a different story as the Maddogs decided to wake up and play rugby. The Dogs slowly gained momentum as the half went on. There were many times when the Dogs were very close to the try line, but a strong Yale defense or a penalty would deny a try. In the end, the Dogs started breaking through the Yale defense with heavy balls and some great mauling by the forwards giving the Dogs two tries and a conversion kick, making the score 17-14 with a few minutes left. The Dogs were able to seal the victory with another try, making the final score 22-17.

The second game on Saturday was against Albany. The Dogs took the field and started the game the same way they ended the first one by scoring tries. The Dogs scored one try after another and built up a 26-0 halftime lead. At this point, the Maddogs learned Albany was bumped up from Division II and essentially conceded the victory by putting in a large amount of B-side players to earn experience. The Maddogs matched Albany by playing all substitutes. The Dogs still put points on the board and kept Albany from scoring. The final score was 41-0. The Maddogs left the field looking forward to their next opponent, King’s Point Merchant Marine Academy.

On Sunday, the weather was even better as the Dogs arrived for the semi-final match against King’s Point. The game started out as a defensive battle as both teams tried to find ways to score. The Dogs were finally able to exploit the weak backs of King’s Point with a quick ball through the hands. Before the half was done, the Dogs were able to put up a second try making the score at half-time 14-0. King’s Point attempted to come out strong in the second half, but a good Maddog defensive prevented them from being able to move the ball well. The increased pressure created more turnovers and more scoring opportunities for the Maddogs. The forwards were also able to control the scrums against a larger pack. The strong defensive and great scrumming allowed the Dogs to put up more points and move onto the finals with a final score of 32-0. The Maddogs were able to watch the end of the other semi-final match as University of Buffalo was able to hold onto a win in a very tough, close match against University of Connecticut.

The final match started only after an hour from the end of the semi-finals. With the short break, the Maddogs were ready to go from the onset of the final. The final started off like the semi-final match. Both teams played very tough defense. The forwards were able to break the defense first this match after mauling the ball from a line out and putting it in for the try. The conversion kick made the score 7-0 at half-time. Despite increased pressure from Buffalo, the Maddogs kept up their strong defense, which created an opportunity when an errant pass from a Buffalo back allowed a Northeastern back to kick the ball up the field, kick it again, then collect it for a try under the posts. The momentum was clearly in favor of the Maddogs as Buffalo started to show signs of fatigue. The victory was assured when a ball through the backs to the wing setup another try under the posts. The Maddogs won the Beast of the East with a final score of 21-0. Defense wins championships and the Maddogs used their defense to shut out the teams in their last three games on their way to being Division I Men’s Champions.