CLUB ROUNDUP

The Penn men's rugby team led its season off with a strong 17-14 win over Drexel Saturday. It pulled out the win with a little over seven minutes left in the match. Junior Christian Siembieda scored twice in the match and the winning try was made by senior Justin Guirney. "[Drexel is] much improved from last year," senior Tim Romberger said. "But everyone on our squad played well. There is still a lot of work to do though." With this win putting it at 1-0, the club looks ahead to a challenging season, both in coaching new players and preparing for strong opponents. "We lost a lot of starters to graduation," Romberger said. "We are a young team coming along well. We'll hopefully peak at the playoffs." The Quakers will compete in their next match Saturday against St. Joe's at Fairmount Park. This match will prepare them for one of their biggest games – against cross-city rival Temple – which will be held in two weeks at Penn's Murphy field. The team's goal is set high, reaching for the Union conference championship which it has won in its past two seasons. "It will be challenging because of all our new players, but we're confident we can do it," Romberger said. · The women's rugby team had an impressive start with a 20-0 defeat of the University of Scranton. Kristine Daniels, Nathalie Torrens and Betsy Davis combined for the three tries scored while Kara Sandler added the conversions and field goals. "Five of eight in our scrum were rookies and they did an incredible job," junior club president Daniels said. "They won some scrums that weren't even our 'put-ins'." Penn's win over Scranton is a very encouraging beginning considering that Scranton has defeated Bryn Mawr, one of Penn's biggest challenges of the season. "It's uplifting that we beat [Scranton]," Daniels said. "The entire team is looking forward to playing Bryn Mawr now." The squad is eager to play its remaining matches, with an aspiration to reach 4-0 for the season. With its first showing, that goal is a definite possibility. "Our goals are set high, but we have many returning veterans and good rookies," Daniels said. Their next match is Saturday at 11 a.m. against West Chester, at Bryn Mawr. · The Void, Penn's men's ultimate frisbee team traveled to Rutgers last weekend and swept every competitor. Posting a 6-0 record in the tournament, Penn defeated the host Scarlet Knights, Columbia, Bucknell, Princeton and Maryland. Sophomore Jimmy Liao put in a strong showing throughout the tournament. Graduate student Dan Johnson also performed well as he took over as team leader on Saturday's matches, due to the absence of both captains. This year's team is a mix of both veteran experience and many new rookies. "It's very encouraging to see the many returning players as well as the promising rookies," junior Howard Wilkins said. "We haven't lost to a college team all season." The team will play in the Haverford Tournament this weekend and hopes for similar success. "We are hoping to make sectionals and regionals. These teams are very experienced, but with a good showing we will be happy," Wilkins said. · Venus, Penn's women's ultimate frisbee team, started the season with three tournaments, using them to gain experience and prepare for its spring season. On September 11, Venus played at Lehigh against Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia area teams. It finished with a 1-4 record for the day, beating a team from Kutztown, Pa. In its three-game tourney at Penn State on the 18th, Penn defeated the Kutztown team once again but lost both remaining matches. At Rutgers last weekend, Venus notched two wins against Princeton and Rutgers, but lost to Columbia. "We are definitely having a slow start," senior co-captain Amy Silverman said. "We are still getting into the season and trying to recruit," "In each tournament we were getting better," co-captain Karen Tuazon said. "The newcomers are picking up the sport now." The team will compete in sectionals in hopes of reaching the regional tournament which covers the Atlantic coast. "In the fall we are still teaching the new people. Our competitors are very experienced, but it helps us step-up our level," Silverman said. Venus rests for the next two weeks, giving the players time to improve their skills and focus their goals.

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