LANCASTER, PA – The Alfred University women's rugby team kicked off the 7's season at the Frostbite 7's Tournament on Sunday.
 
The Saxons (1-3) started strong with a 19-7 win over Kutztown University, their first spring victory. They moved on to face the University of Pittsburgh twice, falling 22-5 in pool play and 38-0 in the quarterfinal. In their last match against the University of Buffalo, AU dropped a 19-10 decision to finish sixth overall.
 
Kutztown University took a 7-0 lead before Alyssa Ainsworth (Vestal, NY/Corning-Painted Post) cut through the middle on a 60-meter run to score the Saxons' first try and tie the game.

Samantha Stock (Ellicottville, NY/Ellicottville Central) followed by picking up the ball from a ruck and running weakside for 70 meters to score for a 14-7 AU advantage going into halftime.

With the clock winding down in the second, the Saxons held up a Golden Bears try before Stock picked up the ball and ran for 90 meters. The junior passed it to Ellie Prestridge (Bethel, VT/White River Valley), who finished it off in the center to seal the first 7's victory of the season.
 
Amelia Ren Vermeer (Des Moines, IA/Theodore Roosevelt) added four points on the conversion.
 
During the early minutes of the pool match against the University of Pittsburgh, Ava Webber (Cobleskill, NY/Cobleskill-Richmondville) registered AU's only try. She picked off the back of the scrum at the 50-meter line and broke a bunch of tackles to score.
 
In the match against the University of Buffalo, Zia Oellig (Colorado Springs, CO/Fountain Valley School of Colorado) received the ball from Aurora Berry (Perry, NY/Perry) at the 50-meter mark and ran the last 10 meters to the try zone to get the Saxons on the board first, 5-0. The score was tied at the start of the second half.

Cori Recktenwald (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post) ran through the gap and offloaded the ball to Ainsworth, who broke the tie and gave AU a 10-5 advantage.
 
However, the Bulls responded with back-to-back tries to take the lead and bring the match to its final score.
 
"This was a fantastic start to our spring season," Head Coach Dr. Nicole Bernsen said. "We had a lot of players step up today and get meaningful minutes. Making it to the quarterfinals in a field of Division I and Division II teams sets us up for success as we continue the season."

The Saxons will next play at the Richmond 7's tournament on Sunday, March 22.