Men’s Rugby Begins Quest for Conference Championship

by The Cowl Editor on September 21, 2017

Friar Sports

Jack O’Connor ’20 breaks away from a tackle
photo courtesy of Laura Chadbourne ’20

by Max Anderson ’18

Sports Staff

The Providence College Men’s Rugby season kicked off conference play this past Saturday, with the Friars already looking like they are in midseason form. The Friars hosted Roger Williams on Saturday and immediately picked up right where they left off, defeating the Hawks 39-12 to improve to a 1-0 record in the Rugby Northeast Conference. The contest was a tune-up for the Friars and a good indicator that the team has big things planned for this upcoming season.

PC is one of 14 schools currently participating in the Rugby Northeast Conference. The Friars will look to repeat their success in the conference after finishing last years season at the top of the Conference with a nearly unblemished record of 7-1. The Friars will have experience on their side, as they are returning a majority of players are returning from last year’s team, including 16 seniors and nearly 30 upperclassmen total.

The Providence Rugby squad has taken monumental strides since the seniors arrived on campus in 2014, and could be looking at their best season yet. During the 2014 fall season, the Friars recorded a 4-4 record, and improved upon that mark with a 5-3 conference record the following year. Last season, the Friars had their best record since the 2012 season (a year when the Friars went undefeated) finishing with a 7-3 mark overall, and a nearly perfect 7-1 record in conference play. With so many returning players, it is easy to see how the team could improve on that mark this season, potentially even matching the undefeated record that the 2012 squad set.

Looking ahead at the upcoming schedule, the Friars have two straight home games at Hendricken Field, before heading out on the road for a three-game road trip. The Friars will take on Middlebury College this Saturday, September 23, and will follow that up with a visit from University of Massachusetts Lowell on Friday, Sept. 23, a team the Friars handily defeated last season 55-37. The Friars will then head across town to take on the Bryant Bulldogs on Friday, October 6, a school the Friars defeated 39-24 last year, before venturing to Southern Connecticut State University a week after that on Saturday, Oct. 14. The Friars will finish up the three game road trip with a visit to Norwich University, where they will take on the Cadets on Saturday, October 21. The Friars did not play the Cadets last season, as Norwich was added to the conference this past season. PC will end their season at home against Bentley University on Saturday, October 28, in what may turn out to be the most interesting game of the year. Last season’s only loss for the Friars came at the hands of Bentley. The Friars just narrowly lost to the Falcons, so you can guarantee that the Friars will be looking for revenge in this upcoming game.

Women’s Rugby Hits the Field

by The Cowl Editor on September 21, 2017

Friar Sports

Women’s Rugby Team
photo courtesy of Madeline Lally’ 19

by Meaghan Cahill ’20

Sports Reporter

While they may only be a club team on campus, the Providence College Women’s Rugby Team is definitely a team to keep your eyes on. The team is a part of the Rugby Northeast Conference. The team is run by Providence College students with an executive board consisting only of seniors. Katherine Shields ’18 is the president of the team, as well as a second row player for the team. She is assisted by Danielle Civitarese ’18, who is the team’s Vice President and occupies the hooker position.

Led by a new coach this year, former Providence College rugby player Michele, the team is completely made up of juniors and seniors, with the exception of Ariel Tavares ’20, who is a flanker. This includes last year’s Fall 2016 Tier 1 All-Conference team qualifiers Mickayla Roan ’18, who is a flanker and also the back’s captain this year, and Aria Ross ’18, who is a center. Ross also made the Rugby Northeast 2016 All-Conference first team and is the forwards’ captain for the team this year. Ross, Shields, and Roan were all named to the 2015 Rugby Northeast All-Conference first team and within that same year, Roan was named Rugby Northeast Player of the Year. The team is not new to the game and clearly have the experience that they need for a successful season. According to Madeline Lally ’19, “The team is a great group of girls who look out and care for one another. They never fail to motivate me and my teammates, do their best, and always improve.”

Their best was proved to be good enough this past Friday, September 16 when they beat Stonehill 42-17 in their first game of the season. Their fall season consists of eight games this season, four home games and four away games. The season goes right into the first week of November and then the team takes a reprieve as they wait for the better playing conditions that the spring will bring.

Lally also commented on the team’s goals for their fall season, saying, “I would say our goal is of course to win as many as possible and to have fun doing it!” Lally played wing for the team last year, but states that this season her position “looks like [it] could be anywhere on the back line.” While talking about the team and the season with her, Lally also explained why she joined the team in the first place, saying that she “joined because I missed the team sports I played in high school and wanted to be a part of something more competitive than intramurals.”

The rugby team plays their next game in Friartown against St. Michael’s College on Sept. 30 at Hendricken Field.

Why the Yankees Will Win the American League East

by The Cowl Editor on September 15, 2017

Professional Sports

By Chris McCormack ’18

The greatest baseball franchise in MLB history is back and looking toward October baseball. The New York Yankees are finally winning again and doing so with a stacked lineup backed up by some dominant pitching. As all baseball fans know, Aaron Judge went through quite the slump after the all-star break, but it appears he may have gotten his groove back. With three home runs in his last seven games, Judge became just the second player ever to hit 40 home runs in his first season. Joining one of baseball’s greatest, Mark McGwire, there is no doubt he is the real deal. Alongside teammate, Gary Sanchez, the two young guns have mashed 70 home runs and now look to lead the team in taking the American League East division.

The Boston Red Sox have not been playing their best baseball and are a slim 3.5 games ahead of the Bronx Bombers. With a starting rotation led by Luis Severino and capped off with Masahiro Tanaka, New York has consistency from top to bottom. The starting rotation paired with a dominant bullpen and an offense that looks as good as it did to start are three reasons why the Yankees can overtake first place in the last 20 games. That said, however, whoever does end up winning the division is going to be rewarded by playing either the hottest team in baseball, the Cleveland Indians, or the team with the league’s deepest lineups, the Houston Astros. No matter what happens both teams will make the playoffs and the playoffs will be as exciting as ever.