WATERVILLE, Maine -- The University of New England women's rugby team opened its 2026-27 schedule by posting a 2-2 record at the Thomas College Round Robin, a 7s event held Saturday (Sept. 12) at Alumni Field

The Nor'easters opened play with a convincing 47-0 shutout of the University of New Haven. Caroline Rhodes and Annabella Lafond each had a pair of tries to pace the offense. Mckenna LaBarge, Tori Demers and Reese Meehan added one apiece. Rhodes (4) and Demers (2) were a perfect 6 of 6 on conversion attempts.

The host Terriers topped UNE in consecutive contests, 31-10 and 26-15. Meehan and Aryn Ward recorded tries to account for the Nor'easters' 10 points in the first clash. Demers (2) and Maeve McNulty (1) found the try zone in the second meeting with Thomas. 

The Nor'easters concluded the event by topping New Haven by a score of 38-5. Rookie Sally Baptista offered a stellar performance, racking up five tries and converting 3 of 3 conversion attempts to account for 31 points. LaBarge added a try, and Joslyn Griffeth accounted for the remainder of the scoring with a conversion.

"Our defense developed and improved in each match," commented head coach Ashley Potvin. "We saw a very diverse array of point scorers throughout the day and are excited to continue building off this performance as a great foundational start for our team."

UNE returns to the pitch next Saturday at the University of New Hampshire.