Pygmies Fall to Brujos; Fledgling Queens Host Scrimmage

by Dave Wheelock, Rugby Director

Right: Katharine Dahm. Photo courtesy of Defensor-Chieftain.

SOCORRO, N.M., Sept. 25, 2006 --The New Mexico Tech Pygmies fell short in their home match on Saturday, Sept. 23, with the Brujos Rugby Football Club of Albuquerque, losing 19-11. The visitors tallied one five-point try and added the two-point conversion kick in the first half and added two second-half tries (one converted) after the intermission. Meanwhile NMT struggled to break through the Brujos’ defense, scoring only one try late in the match. Six of the Pygmy points came from two penalty kicks.

Prior to the one o' clock men's game, seven new members of the resurgent Pygmy Queens RFC mixed in with Atomic Sisters Women's Rugby Club from Albuquerque in a women's rugby clinic and scrimmage. Atomic Sisters coach Paul Mullins, an Australian ex-patriot, conducted an hour-long training session before the women split into two sides for the live scrimmage. Participating Pygmy Queens were NMT undergrads Kelsey Collins, Katharine Dahm, Sarah Diaz, Sarah Gonzales, Robin Harlow, Stacy O' Neil, and Jalpa Patel. It was the first women's rugby action on the Tech field since spring 2000.

Left: Stacy O'Neill. Photo courtesy of Defensor-Chieftain.

In the men's match, play opened evenly under ideal weather conditions, but gradually the Brujos concentrated play in the home team’s end of the field. After several set scrums near Tech’s line, number eight forward Elliott Salgado finally barreled over the line for a try converted by fly half Steve Hough. The Pygmies began their prospective comeback after 25 minutes when the Brujos were penalized 30 yards from their goalposts and fly half Seth Daly connected with a three-point penalty kick. The visitors went to halftime with a 7-3 lead.

The Pygmies drew within one point at 7-6 early in the second half when Daly duplicated his earlier effort from close range. Ten minutes later NMT graduate David Yazzie, wearing the blue and white of the Brujos RFC, plunged across for a try also converted by Hough to lift the visitors into a 14-6 lead.

The heavier Brujos forwards successfully slowed play down in the tackle situations, preventing their younger counterparts from delivering the ball quickly for the Tech backs to advance. Tech’s runners were reduced primarily to kicking under pressure and playing defense, and the outside backs rarely touched the ball. Eighteen minutes into the second half the Brujos backs broke through the tackle line, and after a long passing attack center Jason Chandler scored in the right corner. Hough’s kick from a steep angle was unsuccessful but the Brujos now held a commanding 19-6 lead.

Five minutes later Tech finally found paydirt through an alert five-yard darting run by scrum half Jay Herrera. Daly’s conversion attempt failed and time soon ran out with the hosts at a 19-11 disadvantage.

Seth Daly received Man of the Match honors from his NMT teammates for his efforts. The Brujos evened their autumn record at 3-3 while New Mexico Tech dropped to 1-4. The Pygmies will travel to El Paso Saturday, Sept. 30, to take on Rio Grande Rugby Union men’s division contenders Scorpions RFC.

-NMT-