Brunswick, ME - Women's Rugby earned two historic wins in their first two matches as a program this past weekend at Bowdoin College. The team earned a 19-12 victory against Bowdoin College to start the day, and won against the University of New England 21-15 later in the day.

Head Women's Rugby Coach Farrah Douglas had this to say about the team's performance in their inaugural matches. "These first two wins are an exciting foundation for our program. Our young team of first years has shown incredible effort on both attack and defense. As the team grows in size and the players continue to develop their skills and game IQ, it's going to be exciting to see just how far they can take Women's Rugby here at Thomas."


How it Happened:

Match One: 19-12 Win VS Bowdoin College

• The Terriers struck first when Cassidy Hardy broke free for a spectacular 65-meter run straight under the posts at the 1:04 mark.
• First Year Samya Johnson consistently proved difficult to tackle, driving strong go-forward momentum and creating space that allowed Thomas to capitalize on their attacking opportunities.
• After a period of back-and-forth possession, Thomas extended the lead when Brooke Taylor sliced around the outside of Kemari Cox, again centering under the posts.
• Taylor calmly slotted both conversions to put Thomas ahead 14–0.
• Bowdoin responded with a line break of their own, punching through to score and convert, tightening the match to 14–7 heading into halftime.
• The second half opened with Hardy once again setting the tone, powering through the defense for her second try, converted by Taylor, to make it 21–7.
• However, Bowdoin wasn't finished—breaking through the Terrier defense at 12:57 with a converted try under the posts to close the gap.
• Despite the comeback bid from Bowdoin, the Terriers hung on for a 19-12 victory

Match Two: 21-15 Win VS University of New England

• For the second match of the day, the Terriers came out firing with Hardy setting the tone early.
• Just 1:27 into play, Hardy scooped up a loose ball from a UNE handling error and powered down the field for a 50+ meter try, centered under the posts.
• Taylor slotted the conversion to make it 7–0.
• Minutes later, Thomas capitalized on another UNE mistake. Taylor pounced on a handling error, finishing the run herself and converting her own score to extend the lead to 14–0.
• UNE found their rhythm before halftime, moving the ball quickly through phases and catching Thomas's defense out.
• They exploited space out wide to put five points on the board, closing the gap at the break.
• Rakhia Dobbins consistently applied defensive pressure, slowing UNE's attack and helping Thomas regain momentum.
• The second half saw UNE push harder on both sides of the ball.
• Hardy responded with another decisive strike, slicing through a defensive gap during a broken phase to secure her second try of the match.
• Taylor converted once again to remain perfect on the day.
• As fatigue set in on both teams, Cox stepped up in her debut, making multiple try-saving tackles and showing grit in defense.
• Despite UNE's pressure, Thomas held strong, finishing the match with a final score of 21–15, securing the win.

What's Next:

• Women's Rugby will be back in action when they travel to the University of New England on Saturday, September 20th, 2025. Match time is TBD.