The University of Vermont took control of the New England DII conference with two straight victories over Rhode Island these past two weeks.

The October 18 game was a close one, with UVM edging URI 27-25. But the return game was much more on Vermont's side, as the hosts won 43-25. Matthew Potter scored three tries and Ben Kaufman scored two, while Andres Marin and Sebastien Langlais added tries as well.

Marin said earlier that his team was confident going into this series in part because UVM had a slightly easier buildup to the two-game series, while Rhode Island had a tough away game at Coast Guard. The two teams seemed evenly matched at URI's pitch, but the stress of three very physical games wore on Rhode Island.

" think we really demoralized them right from the beginning," said Marin. "We came out playing the best rugby we have played all year. We also had a big crowd which helped a lot. We were very strong defensively and didn't let up all game."

There are three weekends left in the regular season, but Vermont has essentially sewn up the conference, as they sit 7-0, with URI now 5-2.