In a hard-fought match against Salve Regina University on September 16, the Wheaton College rugby team strove valiantly, but was ultimately defeated with a final score of 47-0. The team demonstrated admirable sportsmanship both on and off the field, ending the game with a concerted chant of “work hard.”

Yuchen Wang ’18 attributed this loss primarily to the large numbers of new players, stating that many had “just entered the team” and were likely not yet experienced at working together. “Our team seemed really annoyed by the sun,” she said, mentioning that the weather probably didn’t help matters. She also noted that the team had a new coach this semester, and that they all “worked really hard,” making future improvement likely.

The low point of the game came about 30 minutes in when Wheaton team captain and Editor-in-Chief of the Wheaton Wire Lucas Rosa ’18 was, according to Wang, “concussed badly.” She said that even after Rosa was wounded, he “wanted to go back to the game, “ but “coaches and physical trainers stopped him.” Rosa was taken to the hospital shortly thereafter by Public Safety.

According to Wang, Rosa has returned to campus and seems to be well on the way to recovery. We wish him and the rugby team the best for the future.