For more rugby photos click here.

Sacramento State?s men?s rugby team carried the momentum from their perfect preseason into the regular season, as they traveled to Chico State University last Saturday and destroyed the Wildcats 57-5.

The Hornets delivered the knockout punch early when Mike Plescia scored a touchdown within the first five minutes of the game. Nathan Trivers scored again just after the nine-minute mark, giving the Hornets a 10-0 lead. Sac State never looked back.

“We scored early and often,” Hornet head coach Justin Prichard said. “We definitely weren?t expecting the game to be that high-scoring.”

Plescia scored again at the 23-minute mark and Travis Taylor followed his act with a score of his own at 40 minutes. The Hornets led 22-0 at the half.

In the second half, Chico?s luck did not change. Quick scores on offense, and a suffocating defense allowed the Hornets to dominate the game.

Ryan Carr joined the touchdown parade just three minutes into the second half and Travis Taylor scored for a second time at 14 minutes to extend the lead. After missing his first two conversions, kicker Chris Call ended up scoring 17 points in the game, including a touchdown.

The Hornets scored two other times in the half, giving themselves a 57-0 lead before Chico was able to get on the scoreboard at 30 minutes.

Prichard was happy with his team?s performance, but acknowledged that there were some things they still need to work on.

“We were down at the goal line at least six other times with a chance to score, and came up short,” Prichard said. “We could have scored a lot more points.”

The Hornets will face a tough test next week when Brigham Young University comes to town. The Cougars are one of the top teams in the country and will be a good measuring stick for Sac State.

“The important thing is that the kids know we need improvement. We?re just going to keep working hard,” Prichard said.

Like their male counterparts, Sac State?s women?s rugby team has high hopes for the 2002 season. In fact, they have only one thing in mind- being the best.

“Our goal is to get to the Division II National Championship and move up to Division I next year,” Hilary Gatlin said.

The Hornets have only one loss against them, to a tough Stanford team, but they have a tie against Chico State and a win against Santa Clara to their credit. More importantly, this is perhaps the best team the program has seen in its three years of existence.

“We had a rocky first two years,” said Gatlin, who is also one of the program?s founders. “There were times when we couldn?t even field a team because we didn?t have enough players. But now, we?re better than we?ve ever been.”

As with many sports teams, one of the keys to their success will undoubtedly be their chemistry, both on and off the field. It seems they have that under control as well.

“It?s a very tight-knit group,” Gatlin said. “We practice together, workout together, we party together. It?s a great group of girls.”

The group comes from many different athletic backgrounds, but their love for sports gives them common ground. Still, the most interesting thing about them may be the fact that they don?t fit the stereotype society has of athletic women.

“People tend to see female [rugby] players especially, as large and brutish” said Gatlin, who tips the scales at 115 pounds. “The reality is that there are a variety of body types and sizes on our team and most other teams.”

Stereotypical or not, the Hornets remain focused on their goal, “We just want to keep getting better,” Gatlin said.

It appears they have the tools to do it.

“We are dedicated and talented,” Gatlin said. “People who watch us will see lots of intensity, heart?and winning.”