NEW LONDON, Conn. - The Norwich men's rugby team battled the cold and windy weather on Saturday to scrimmage Coast Guard. The Cadets gained valuable experience, despite dropping the contest by a score of 62-0.

Coast Guard began the scoring from a center move at the six minute mark of the first period. USCG continued to take advantage of Norwich's inexperience and rustiness in the backline throughout the scrimmage. Junior Matt Burke, the only member of NU's backline that played in the fall, played well despite the adverse conditions.

Norwich's forwards, led by senior captain Peter Beamer, held their own in the scrums and lineouts. In the second stanza, it looked like freshman Ryan Wunder scored, but the ball was held up at the in-goal. This came as result of solid rucking from the forwards.

The highlight of the day was Dominic Cloutier's try during the second side play. The score was set up by a fine attacking movement from center Ryan Rosa.

"Saturday was an excellent day for player development", said NU head coach Bob Weggler. "The 10 newcomers to rugby got a taste of the great sport, and they all thanked me afterward. That was at nine o'clock at night after a fifteen hour day, most of it in the brisk cold."

Norwich returns to action on Saturday, April 5, when the Cadets tangle with Brown. Kickoff is slated for 11:30 a.m.

Scoring Summary

1st Period: USCG - 17 (3 tries, 1 conversion), NU - 0 (25 min)

2nd Period: USCG - 28 (4 tries, 4 conversions), NU - 0 (25min)

3rd Period: USCG - 17 (3 tries, 1 conversion), NU - 0 (25min)