MALDEN, MA – It was a very long day at the office for Mystic River yesterday in their various matches against Boston, despite strong support from multiple generations of Mystics throughout the day.

The Old Boys kicked off in cloudy weather, but gave a good accounting of themselves. They struggled to contain the Boston backs at some points, but matched the Boston scoring to keep the game close. In the end, the match went right down to the wire, with captain Teddy Vassallo having a long-range penalty in the dying moments of the game to win the match. Unfortunately, the kick was slightly off target, leaving the scoreline 20-19 to Boston.

The A side match did not start well for the Mystics, as Boston played some very structured rugby and moved the ball across the field through multiple phases to set up three early tries. The Mystics then fought back defensively and started to counter Boston’s expansive game, but the Mystics really struggled with their first phase possession and with ball retention in general. As a result, Boston managed to score three more tries before the end of the game, with two of those coming from turnovers. The final score was not very pretty, with Boston winning the game 44-0.

The B side then had a hard-fought match where they struggled to prevent some long, scything runs from the Boston backs. However, they held on to the ball more than the A’s and did manage to contain the Boston side more effectively. They fought hard until the dying seconds of the game and scored a try without any time left on the clock. The final score was 31-12 to Boston.

The afternoon was followed by a really well-attended cookout at the East Side, where Chris O’Donnell put on an amazing spread. The current players really appreciated the attendance of so many supporters at Pine Banks and the East Side, especially as the East Side gave them a chance to talk to so many staunch supporters of the club.

Next weekend sees the boys travel down to New Haven, where they will need to put in a solid performance to keep them in a good position for the remainder of the season.