NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich University women's rugby team fell 53-10 to Bowdoin College on Saturday afternoon in National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) Division III action at the Dog River Pitch. 

Junior forward Leah Fuess (Northfield, Mass.) and junior flyhalf Jade Wimbish (Washington, D.C.) each scored tries for the Cadets, but it wasn't enough as Bowdoin rattled off 34 straight points in the final 50 minutes of the game to cruise to the win. 

Bowdoin senior wing Molly Petronzio powered the Polar Bears' offense with four tries on the day, including three in a row during Bowdoin's 34-0 run. 

Petronzio opened the scoring 8:25 into the game with a try and an automatic conversion due to a Norwich penalty to give Bowdoin the 7-0 lead. 

Norwich answered just over 3:30 later with Fuess touching down for a power run try to cut the deficit to 7-5. Bowdoin's Colleen Doucette extended the lead to 14-5 with a converted try from Sage Kashner at the 16:00 mark. 

Ella Slaby extended the Polar Bear lead to 19-5 just 2:15 later. Norwich cut into the led at the 21:40 mark with Wimbish touching down for her first collegiate try to make it 19-10 Bowdoin. 

Bowdoin seized the momentum back with three more tries in the final nine minutes of the first half with Rebecca Vakarau, Sara Nelson and Petronzio touching down for tries to take a 36-10 lead into halftime. 

Petronzio scored two more tries at the 53:20 and 55:47 mark to extend the lead to 48-10 with Lauryn Eisenhart picking up a conversion on one of them. 

Eisenhart touched down for a try of her own at the 58:58 mark of the second half to cap the scoring. 

Norwich (0-1, 0-1 NIRA D3) will head to Saint Michael's next Saturday to play a pair of exhibition jamboree matches vs. Saint Michael's and Middlebury. 

Bowdoin, the defending NIRA Division III champions have now won three in a row vs. Norwich, including a sweep of the 2019 games.