Greenwich High girls rugby team ties Simsbury, in back-and-forth matchup

By David Fierro on April 26, 2023 • ( Leave a comment )

**Photo by Antonio Monteiro:** Greenwich visited Simsbury recently for a girls varsity rugby game.

Contributed report by Antonio Monteiro

Greenwich High School’s girls rugby team dueled Simsbury to a 29-29 tie on the road, recently, putting forth an impressive performance.

Greenwich put out a team with a mixture of Division 1 and 2 team players due to the missing seniors and injuries of key players. Despite being under strength, the team displayed grit and determination, never giving up. In the final minutes, they managed to tie the game at 29-29, with the win being denied by a conversion hitting the crossbar.

**Photo by Antonio Monteiro:** Greenwich battled to a tie against in-state rival Simsbury on the road.

Greenwich started strong, with flyhalf and stand-in co-captain junior Lara Olmsted scoring a try in the corner after a 40-yard run to take a 5-0 lead. However, Simsbury quickly responded by scoring four tries, one of which was converted, to take a commanding 24-5 lead at halftime. Simsbury was dominant in all aspects of the game at this point, but the Cardinals stormed back in the second half of the game.

During the second half of the game, Greenwich showed a strong fighting spirit and managed to score two tries, one from flanker freshman Georgia Petz and another from Olmsted, who scored her second try of the matchup.

**Photo courtesy of Antonio Monteiro:** Greenwich made a strong comeback to tie host Simsbury in rugby action.

Scrumhalf sophomore Lauren Huang converted Olmsted’s try, bringing the score to 24-17. Simsbury scored one more try, but Huang responded with a try of her own and made the conversion kick, putting the score at 29-24.

In the final minutes of the game, Olmsted scored her third try, tying the game at 29-29. The second half was a completely different story from the first, with Greenwich showing resilience and determination to come back from a significant deficit.

**Photo by Antonio Monteiro:** Greenwich and Simsbury tested their rugby skills against each other up in Simsbury.

The Lady Cardinals had a fantastic game with impressive performances from Lara Olmsted, who scored 15 points, kicked well out of hand, and led the backline. Standing co-captain prop sophomore Vera Zibilich fearlessly carried the ball and led the forwards against much bigger opposition.

Lauren Huang also had a great debut scoring nine points, kicking well from the tee, and distributing well from the base of the pack. Overall, the team played well in all areas of the field.

Greenwich’s next game is at home against Trumbull on April 27th.