Regardless of what happened in last weekend’s National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) championship, it was a going to be a season to remember for the Endicott women’s squad.
But capping things off with one last victory in the small college national title game — a decisive 24-12 decision over Lee University — was unquestionably the icing on the cake.
Not only was it the program’s first-ever championship crown, but the final triumph put the stamp on an unbeaten (10-0) run that included a revenge-like win over top seeded SUNY Cortland in the regional championship.
“To be the national champions for the first time in program history was probably one of the best feelings I’ve ever experienced,” said Endicott senior Jourdan VanAmburgh, who took home tournament MVP. “It just solidified that all our hard work, heart and dedication had paid off.”
Endicott got off to a ridiculously impressive start to the fall season with dominant wins over Salve Regina (41-0), UMass Dartmouth (59-0), Wentworth (100-5), and UMaine-Farmington (41-0). The Gulls would then roll Salve again, 71-7, in the Colonial Coast Rugby Conference championship to earn the right to host the opening round of the NCR Regionals.
They proceeded to sneak past No. 13 Colby, 27-14, earning a spot in the Regional championship for the second straight year. The Gulls moved on to face a SUNY Cortland team that ousted them from the playoffs last fall, and wanted nothing more than to exact their revenge.
“Once we saw our potential, we knew that we could make a deep run,” said Gulls’ head coach Carly Baker. “The win over Salve in the (conference) championship was really a statement game and allowed us to host a regional game for the first time, which was a big deal for our program and our school.”
For Baker, VanAmburgh and the rest of the Gulls, the ensuing 31-27 win over Cortland confirmed what they had believed all along: they were in it to win it and were going to give everything they had against any opponent the rest of the way.
“It was very tight (against Cortland), came right down to the wire,” said Baker. “We really focused this year on our defense and our tackling, making sure that we honed in on technique, line speed, meeting them and making those tackles low to not allow them to get by. I think we did that tremendously.”
Endicott moved on to face Northern Michigan in the national semifinals down in Houston, securing a 31-19 victory.
They Gulls faced some serious adversity in the title tilt against Lee, getting flagged for a yellow card late that forced them to play man-down in crunch time while nursing a 5-point lead. But Endicott never wavered against the Tennessee school, getting a key stop and subsequent score on a try from Carolina Stubbs down the stretch to secure the 24-12 win.
“We both had speed on the outside, and we knew if we could shut down their No. 12 and 13 we’d be in good shape,” said Baker, who also got scores from Summer Cardoza, Tess Merrill and VanAmburgh in the title win.
“I think once we had scored that last try by Carolina, we could feel it. I was so happy for her; she was one of our unsung heroes (who) worked so hard throughout the season. For her to get that last try, I think everyone was ecstatic.”
Endicott had a lot of unsung heroes, reliable leaders and skilled players up and down its lineup.
Senior captain Cassidy McElhinney was a force on and off the field. Junior transfer Grace Kenkel was dominant in the back line, along with sophomore Sarah Aylwin of Topsfield. The latter scored a few tries against Northern Michigan in the national semifinals that proved crucial.
Fullback Tess Merrill was another key contributor, as was senior flyhalf Kaitlyn Quinn and sophomore blind side flanker Ashley McElhinney.
“We had so many girls who really just competed,” said Baker. “And we had a lot of great juniors and seniors who were great leaders and all worked together.”
It was a magical season for the Gulls, one they hope will propel them to similar success in future campaigns.
“I would describe the team as nothing like any other team I’ve ever been on or experienced,” said VanAmburgh. “The fact that every single person, all 25 of us, came to every single practice and game with the dedication, commitment and determination to put in the hard work really helped us get that chemistry and trust in each other.
“Bringing that to every single game, to regionals, to nationals, that’s one of the primary factors of why we were able to accomplish what we did. I wouldn’t have wanted to do it all with any other team.”
Contact Nick Giannino at NGiannino@Salemnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGiannino_SN.
