By Meghan Foley
Hometown Weekly Staff
This year is only the fourth season for Needham High School’s girls’ rugby program after its institution in 2023. The team recently earned success with a win on May 7th, when they defeated Algonquin Regional High School on the road 75–43, making history for the young program with their first ever win. Back on Memorial Field the following week, the Rockets hosted Cambridge Rindge & Latin School for their senior night match.
“They definitely came off of last week energized,” said Head Coach Dina Hannigan. “That win gave them so much momentum; they worked really hard this week and last week at practice and we were ready again and got it done.”
Last season, the Cambridge Falcons won the matchup 52–38, but it was Needham who struck first this year with a successful try by Harper Schneiderman, who grabbed the ball during a scrum and fought through three opponents to cross the goal line and put the Rockets in the lead 5–0. They doubled their score only four minutes later when Grace Tetreault ran into the try-zone, and Cambridge scored their first try about six minutes after.
The Rockets fought for their next try, the Falcons only giving a few yards on each advance as the Rockets powered slowly through their end. They almost scored when Jesse Brandish was nearly able to get the ball over the goal line, Sabrina Rauch and Talia Muzikant pushing her forward while a Falcon braced her teammate pushing back against Brandish. The result was that the ball had crossed over the goal line but it had not touched down in the try-zone, instead ending up on top of one of the Falcons on the ground. Consequently, Cambridge got to kick the ball from their goal line to the Rockets at the 12-yard line. After a few tackles and scrums, the Rockets finally got their try when Tetreault received a pass from Julia Cohen and pushed through the Falcons’ defense to touch the ball down in the try-zone, and they would end the half with a score of 15–5.
Following a scrum in the second half, Tetreault had the ball and, before succumbing to a tackle by three Cambridge players, she passed the ball to Cohen. Cohen similarly managed to get a pass off to Celia Gottesman, who also got rid of the ball just in time. Gottesman’s pass went to Katie Fitzmaurice, who powered through the Falcons’ defense and reached the ball out into the try-zone as she went down, making the score 20-5.
Following a call about midway through the second half, Cohen picked up the ball and began running for the try-zone before the Falcons were expecting the Rockets to resume play, and they were not able to catch her. Following Cohen’s try, Tetreault and Allegra Franco scored the conversion kick for an additional two points and a 27–5 score.
Next to score was Talia Muzikant, who ran the ball from the Rockets’ defensive end and up the field, chased by the Falcons as she sprinted over half of the field until she touched the ball down in their try-zone.
Only about two minutes later, Cohen made a long run of her own for another try. Crossing the goal line around the center point, Cohen put Franco and Tetreault in a good position for a straight shot on the conversion kick, and they were successful, bringing the score to 39–5, the kick made by Franco and held by Tetreault.
On their next possession, the Rockets quickly advanced upfield. Chrystelle Wakim was tackled near the 40-yard line in the Needham end. Fitzmaurice made it to the 45-yard line in Cambridge’s half. At 23 yards out, one of the Falcons grabbing at Tetreault was able to get a hold on her, and, knowing she was being tackled, Tetreault turned and passed the ball back to Fitzmaurice as she fell. Fitzmaurice was able to complete the final 23 yards for another five points, and Tetreault scored two more off of the conversion kick, set by Franco. The Rockets held this 46–5 score for the final few minutes to earn their second program win and their first at home.
“It’s their senior night, so they really wanted to win.” Said Hannigan. “We got some incredible seniors, and a lot of them, so they’ve really been working hard, they deserve this, all of them, they deserve this, I’m really proud of them.”
MVP’s of the game were senior 8-man Harper Schneiderman and junior wing Celia Gottesman.
Congratulations to seniors Julia Cohen, Allegra Franco, Johanna McIntyre, Grace Tetreault, Talia Muzikant, Harper Schneiderman, Chrystelle Wakim, Helen Hays, and Ellie McHugh!
