BRECKENRIDGE - If the Gentlemen of the Blue Goose want to maintain a strong rugby rivalry with Vail, they may have to beat their western neighbor every once in awhile.

According to Blue Goose coach Peter Shafroth, Vail has established a lengthy winning streak against the Breckenridge-based club.

"I have no idea when we beat them last," Shafroth said. "I don't think it's happened in the three years I've been coaching or during my year off (in between). We've had some close matches with them, though, so it's a rivalry for us. ... We're hoping to beat them."

Vail will host the teams' second matchup of the season on Saturday, five weeks after dispatching the Goose, 38-16, in Breckenridge.

That contest was closer than the score revealed, however, as the Goose clung to an eight-point deficit and the ball with 15 minutes remaining in the match.

Rather then scoring an easy three-point kick, the home team decided to gamble for more points on a running play. The aggressive strategy backfired on the Gentlemen, who were thwarted on the play and subsequently shut out for the remainder of the contest.

"We made a poor on-field decision," Shafroth said. "We need to be more patient (this time). In a close match, you have to count the numbers and take points when you can get them."

Blue Goose captain Ron Reyes said his team has heightened its awareness of the importance of home-stretch situations.

"We just need to finish," Reyes said. "I think we're starting to get better at holding on."

After a slow start to its season, the Goose picked things up two weeks ago at the Cowpie tournament in Steamboat, where it defeated pool-play opponents Colorado Springs and Fort Collins to advance to the semifinals. Unfortunately for the Goose, powerhouse Aspen was its final-four opponent.

Aspen proved to be too much for the Goose to handle for the second time this season, but still the loss was a marked improvement for the Summit ruggers.

"They beat us 24-7," Shafroth said. "That's a lot better than our first game against them, which they won 82-19."

Shafroth attributed a significant degree of his team's Cowpie success to the play of veteran Zack Zellars, who has recently been moved to the No. 8 position.

Reyes said the Zellars adjustment has benefited the Goose both offensively and defensively.

The Blue Goose captain believes the Vail/Blue Goose rivalry is still intact, despite his team's recent dearth of victories.

"It's Vail after all," Reyes said. "And we're Breckenridge. Just the towns alone bring up a little bit of heat. It goes back a long time. (Both clubs) have been in business for more than 30 years."



Adam Boffey can be contacted at (970) 668-4634, or at aboffey@summitdaily.com.