OCT 31, 2024 | SPORTS | By Madeline Johnson and Brody Herrick
Disclaimer: Brody Herrick and Madeline Johnson are both members of rugby programs at Colorado College. To minimize conflicts of interest, Herrick covered Cutthroat Women’s Rugby while Johnson reported on the men’s team.
Oct. 5 and 6 was a rough week for Colorado College’s club rugby teams, with losses of 67-10 for the men and 99-5 for the Cutthroat (the Cutties) Women’s team. However, even so, the teams celebrated milestone moments and even better after-parties.
Let’s start with the Cutties’ Oct. 6 game highlights: when it ended.
The nationally ranked No. 9 Colorado School of Mines women’s team was allegedly fun to play but not fun to be tackled by. Luckily, the Cutties brushed off the loss and enjoyed an after-game social between the teams in a show of camaraderie.
The Mines men’s team were not as nice as their female counterparts on Oct. 5. CC tends to enjoy a friendly rivalry between opponents and even pass back and forth on the pitch. However, Mines maintained an aloof and holier-than-thou demeanor, touting their small gains and even hurting a few CC players, while unclear if they had malicious intent. Due to the manner and physicality of the sport, no one was surprised to have four injured athletes.
So how did both teams lose so abysmally?
What the Cutties have in speed and grit, they lack in aggression. The team (a bunch of softies at heart, according to Johnson) struggled to make consistent tackles and match the combativeness of the Mines team.
During the players’ favorite part of the game, the scrum, Johnson ‘27 and Lola Musslewhite ‘27, took a beating as the scrum consistently collapsed onto their heads and shoulders. The Cutties’ effort couldn’t match the brute strength of the Mines team.
With only ten minutes left, the battered and bruised Cutties were out of subs and healthy players, and the game was forced to end early. However, the young team, consisting primarily of underclassmen and still in its developing stage, the Cutties were content to get competitive play experience.
For the men, it was simply an unfair matchup.
The Mines men’s team is ranked No. 12 for NCAA Division III rugby and practices four times a week, drawing from a student pool of 70% men. Colorado College, on the other hand, practices twice a week and only got a coach at the beginning of October. Mines capitalized on CC’s mistakes, and CC couldn’t return the favor.
Furthermore, the referee missed a couple of equalizing calls that could’ve evened the score, like Jensen Rawlings’ ‘25 revoked try in the second half. Despite the final score, the Colorado College men’s program was happy with their efforts, immense improvements from their season opener against Denver University on Sept. 14.
Cutties game highlights:
- Captain Kira Smith’s ‘25 tackling efforts as a fullback.
- A quick try scored coming out of the scrum by Riley Burnette ‘27.
- Massive improvements were made by the Cutties rookies, especially from starters Macy Quatrochi ‘28, Mili Vocke ‘28, and Logan Yankowski ‘27.
Men’s game highlights:
- Injuring 4 Mines players (“They were mean,” Herrick shared).
- Stunning squib kick and try by Paul Erhet ‘25.
- The freshmen and rookie class made massive improvements, especially Rodrigo Mattioli ‘28, who consistently laid down effective tackles.
Ad Memoriam
- Musslewhite ‘27. Even a sprained ankle in the second half couldn’t make Lola sub out, and she finished the game strong. Luckily, she will likely be back in fighting shape soon.
- Connor Cronk ‘26. After an outstanding first 20 minutes, Cronk pushed too hard, spraining his MCL. Much to his dismay, he will likely be out for the rest of the season.
Cutthroat rugby plays on Nov. 1 against the Air Force Academy at Washburn Field for homecoming weekend at 6 p.m. They will be followed by the men’s team at 8 p.m. against our neighbor, University of Colorado Colorado Springs.