The Claremont Foxes Division II women’s rugby team shined through the deluge that trapped most of the 5Cs in their dorms on Saturday, March 2, battling Occidental through the pouring rain. The Foxes avenged their November loss versus the Tigers with a score of 30-10.
Strong defensive rucks from Talia Holzman SC ’27 and effective coordination from flyhalf Hobie Wolff PZ ’27 moved the ball up the field in early aggressive pushes, quickly encroaching on the Tigers’ goal line. Early into the first half, fullback and inside center Avery Roof SC ’27 started off the scoring after feinting around Oxy’s backline.
“As inside center, I faked a switch with Bella [Milano CM ’26], our outside center and I made a try off that,” Roof said. “That’s something I’ve never done before.”
Oxy looked sapped after this attack, clearly feeling the fatigue of the driving rain, chilling temperature, and slippery rubber of the Pomona turf. The Tigers then punted the ball directly to Ashley Viveros — a first-year at La Verne who competes with the Foxes — who returned the ball for a try after weaving through the Tigers’ defense. With this, Claremont went into the half with the score on their side.
To open up the second half, Viveros took on the fly-half position, taking responsibility for driving the team forward while Naomi Fireman SC ’27 took the helm of the defense as the new fullback.
The Foxes stood stalwart, defending their position and continuing to lead successful drives downfield. Claremont delivered another blow to the Tigers when Wolff, now playing outside center, received another punt and looped through the Oxy’s back line, easily finding a try.
Holzman explained she was pleased with the Foxes’ performance and noted their ability to adapt to mid-game strategy shifts.
“There’s definitely been a lot of change around with people switching positions in the middle of the game,” Holzman said. “But we’ve just managed to keep that discipline up and show that we show up to practice for a reason and you can see that in our play now.”
The second half also saw deep runs from rookie Lily Nelson SC ’26, who was seeing the field for the first time in her rugby career. Nelson, with continued support from Fireman and Viveros, helped to contest the Tigers deep into the second half as persistent rain continued pounding down on the pitch.
“It was Lily’s first match today and she killed it,” Holzman said. “I think it’s a lot more discipline and it’s been great to see the commitment everyone has made to the team.”
In the twilight moments of the game, Occidental was able to push into Claremont’s half and contend with offensive pushes, earning a try off a tenuous slug down the pitch. The Tigers also locked in defensively, forcing a goal line drop that prevented a fourth Fox try. However, Oxy’s late surge was ultimately in vain as the Foxes walked away with the dominant victory.
Claremont’s victory over Occidental evens the score on the season between the two teams after the Tigers toppled the Foxes in their previous matchup. In November, 2023, the Foxes traveled to San Diego to compete in the annual Scrum by the Sea tournament where they fell to Occidental in their first game.
According to Ainsley Murphy SC ’26, the tight-knit community the team has developed in the months since has allowed them to glue on and off the field. She elaborated that this win tasted like revenge.
“Oxy was the first game of our tournament [Scrum by the Sea] and [at that time] we kind of weren’t ready to play and I feel like our team is now so connected,” Murphy said. “Everyone is much closer [and] has so much more experience, so it was really nice to see the improvement that we’ve made.”
The Foxes will continue their mission at home against the CSU Long Beach Sharks on March 23.
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