George Washington RFC
George Washington Rugby Football Club (GWRFC, GW Men's Rugby) is the oldest club sport at George Washington University in Washington, DC. The team was founded in 1967 and has been a member of the Potomac Rugby Union since its inception.
Spring 2014 season
New Executive Board
In December 2014, GWRFC elected, voted on, and confirmed the new Executive Board for the 2014 calendar year. The results were as follows:
- President: Andrew Dewey
- Vice President: Justin Henderson
- Treasurer: Alex Bierman
- Match Secretary: Lee Winkler
- Comm Chair: Mark Favorito
- Social Chair: Ty Bofferding
The new Eboard set to work creating the Spring schedule. The transition marked the passing of the torch from the Seniors on the club (who had made up the majority of the team and the Eboard since their Freshman year) to the incoming class (who now represent the other majority class and make up all but one position on the Eboard).
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 2/22 | Loyola University | Baltimore, MD |
| 3/1 | Columbia University | Haines Point, Washington, DC |
| 3/8-3/15 | Turks & Caicos Island Team | Turks and Caicos Islands |
| 3/21 | Georgetown University | Harbin Field, Georgetown, Washington, DC |
| 3/29 | Old Dominion University | Washington, DC |
| 4/5-4/6 | Cherry Blossoms Tournament | Washington, DC |
| 4/12 | Rocky Gorge Tournament | Maryland |
| 4/19 | Frostburg University | Washington, DC |
| 4/26 | GWRFC Alumni | Washington, DC |
| 5/3 | Spring Banquet | TBA |
Results
| Date | Opponent | Win/Loss | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/22 | Loyola Maryland | Win | 27-12 |
| 3/1 | Columbia University | -- | -- |
| 3/8-3/15 | Turks & Caicos Islands Team | -- | -- |
| 3/21 | Georgetown University | -- | -- |
| 3/29 | Old Dominion | -- | -- |
| 4/5-4/6 | Cherry Blossoms | -- | -- |
| 4/12 | Rocky Gorge Tournament | -- | -- |
| 4/19 | Frostburg University | -- | -- |
| 4/26 | GWRFC Alumni | -- | -- |
22 February against Loyola Maryland
GW Men's Rugby opened their Spring 2014 season on the road at Loyola University Maryland and while rusty, came away with a decisive victory.
At the opening whistle, Loyola booted the kick-off deep in GW's territory. The first few phases were hard forward runs, looking for an opportunity to set-up a clear kick from inside GW's 22 meter line. GW Rugby fought out of its own end, but couldn't string together any mistake-free phases to create an early scoring opportunity. The first 15 minutes of the match resembled a scrum clinic more than an actual rugby game. Eventually, an over-zealous Loyola defender jumped off-sides, incurring a penalty, and subsequently created GW's first scoring drive. Senior Prop Kostas Skordalos took the penalty tap and slammed into the Loyola line. Immediately following was a quick pass to Junior Flanker Brandon Hoffman, who broke the line and fell into the try-zone. Conversion missed. GW 5-0. Minutes later, aggressive defense from Freshman Prop Lee Winkler created a turn-over on Loyola's side of the 50 meter line. The forwards pounded the ball hard, pulling in several of Loyola's tacklers. Senior Scrumhalf Trevor Ceniviva tossed a quick pass to Senior Fly-half Paul Asercion who attacked the short-half of the field, drawing a final defender, before flipping it outside to Junior Wing Sean Goonen, who finished the score in the corner. Conversion missed. GW 10-0.
Halftime
The second half saw more opportunities for GW Rugby, but only a handful were capitalized on. A GW scoring drive was thwarted when a GW player knocked the ball on while being tackled. However, GW stole the ensuing scrum and Freshman Flanker Jullian Cockerell picked the ball from the scrum to send the Loyola defense back peddling. Following a hard attack from Skordalos, GW attacked the weak-side and Hoffman put down his second try. Conversion missed. GW 15-0. Immediately following this score, GW found its way back into Loyola's territory. Skordalos punished Loyola defenders who got in his way, forcing their entire defensive line back on their heels. Again, exploiting the weakness on the weak-side, Cockerell attacked hard, drawing the last defender, and off-loaded to Freshman Wing Harry Page-Salisbury, who finished GW's fourth try in the corner. Conversion missed. GW 20-0. Finally, a scoring opportunity materialized for Loyola after a GW penalty provided a line-out deep in GW's 22. After some sloppy play, Loyola regains its composure long enough to pound in a forwards oriented try. Conversion made. GW 20-7. The confidence from this score seemed to give Loyola a renewed passion for the game and kept the pressure on GW's defense. Pinned deep once again, GW was forced to clear kick, but a well placed boot, lead to a missed played ball from a Loyola wing. Page-Salisbury restarts the attack after the turn-over, cutting from the sideline back in. Cockerell, running in support, knifes through the hole, scampering for 40 meters in for the try. Asercion converted. GW 27-7. Before time was up, a poor decision on a GW clear kick mixed with bad defensive alignment led to an easy score for Loyola in garbage time. Conversion missed. Final GW 27-12.
Overall, a strong start to the season, but leaving GW Rugby plenty of room for improvement.
The B-side fought hard in the second match, but fell short 12-7. The lone try was a hard forward run from Junior Prop Albert Anaim. Senior Center Taylor Mauck converted.
Previous seasons
Fall 2013
In Fall of 2013, George Washington RFC went 4-1-1 in games played, and 3-2-1 in conference play (due to a forfeit to Salisbury University). The team played and beat Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland Baltimore County, George Mason, and Georgetown Law Rugby Club. The team's only loss in games played was to Towson University, who would go on to the regional finals of the national tournament. On October 5, 2013 GWRFC played Georgetown University. Long-time rivals in other sports, the two teams had become increasingly competitive in rugby as well. In 2012, GWRFC was beaten by just three points (17-14) in their first game of the season. In 2013, the teams played each other even tighter, and the game ultimately ended in a 17-17 tie.
GW's record and point totals were enough to place them third in the PRU behind the national champion from 2012, Salisbury University, and a national semi-finalist from 2012, Towson University. Georgetown University was placed 4th (followed by Hopkins in 5th). However, due to a PRU Board decision, GWRFC was prohibited from entering the playoffs due to their forfeiture against Salisbury earlier that season. Due to this, Georgetown moved to 3rd and played Towson in the first round of playoffs, while Hopkins moved to 4th and played Salisbury. Towson and Salisbury both won. Salisbury got the PRU's bid for playoffs and Towson received an 'at-large' bid. Towson went to the semi-finals before being knocked out of the tournament, while Salisbury would make it to the national championship for the second straight year, though they ultimately lost in the final.
Fall 2013 players
Forwards
Kostas Skordalis, Brandon Hoffman, Benjamin Axelrod, Gordon Pera, George DeCastro, Adam Huey, Adam Hickox, Tom Carlton, Brandon Wendt, Tim Stackhouse, Stephen Conley, Jullian Cockerell, Lee Winkler
Backs
Paul Asercion, Johnny Kelley, Sam Newton, Andrew Dewey, Mark Favorito, Sam Hawley, Will Goulding, Trevor Ceniviva (scrumhalf), Harry Page-Salisbury, Steven Tedesco, Marini Lopci, Chase Graham
Captains
Trevor Ceniviva, Adam Hickox