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Today starting at 5pm the Your Scrumhalf Connection site will be down while I move over to a different hosting site. The move should take most of the weekend but everything will be back up and normal by Sunday evening.

Come back on Monday to see the new site and its many enhancements! I hope this redesign will help you as users experience my site in a new and grand way!

Thanks,
Wendy

Watch this rugby video to enter for a chance to win VIP tickets to the Heinekein Cup Final!

The Penn State Women will be hosting a recruiting weekend for high school seniors on October 31st for any high school athletes that are interested in playing rugby at the best women’s college rugby program in the country.

“Over the past few years the level of high school rugby has improved dramatically,” said Peter Steinberg, Head Coach of the Penn State Women. “We already have players from around the country that came to Penn State for rugby. Players are now making their college decision based on rugby, and we want to give these athletes a chance to see Penn State, learn about the program and the University.”

The Penn State Women’s Team is the most successful women’s program in the country. Penn State has won 5 National Titles and has been to 11 of the last 12 National Championship games. “If you come to Penn State you will have a chance to play for a National Title” Steinberg said. The program is strongly supported by the University and is designated a “team sport” within the Athletic Department. Team sports status enables rugby to have two full-time Directors of Rugby, varsity athlete health insurance, full medical and trainer support, admissions and financial aid support, and access to facilities including the varsity athlete weight room.

“Being part of one of the elite collegiate athletic departments in the country gives the rugby student-athletes access to world class support and is critical for the team’s success on and off the pitch” says Peter Baggetta, Assistant Director of Rugby.

Penn State is not only an elite women’s collegiate program in the country; it is also one of the elite academic public Universities. Penn State is ranked

* #1 in Fulbright scholars
* #4 for National Science Foundation Funding
* #7 in Top US Universities by Washington Monthly
* #15 US Public University by US News and Report

“Penn State is a very strong academic institution and the students get a world-class education,” said Dayna Wenger, Manager of Team Sports. “Rugby can offer support for the student athletes, both during the admissions process and when they get to campus.”

Athletes that are interested in attending Penn State and playing rugby will have their applications tagged as incoming athletes and will get the best possible chance of being admitted. Once the student-athlete is admitted they will be entered into the rugby academic advisor program, where rugby players get additional support from Penn State Faculty.

“We believe in our tag-line – Building Champions-Shaping Futures,” said Baggetta. “We support our student athletes when they are at Penn State, and then we have 1500 rugby alumni that can offer support once they graduate. Penn State Rugby is a lifetime experience.”

Seniors in High School are encouraged to attend the Penn State Women’s Rugby Recruiting Day on October 31st. They will meet the team, get a tour of campus, understand the admissions process and meet the coaches. The recruiting day starts at 10am on Saturday, and players can be hosted for the weekend. Parents are encouraged to join the recruits for the weekend. If you are interested in attending please complete the registration form at:

http://www.attackingrugby.com/RecruitWeekend.html

For more information about the Penn State Women’s team, please email Peter Steinberg.

For more information and news about Penn State Rugby please go to www.psurugby.org

The Lady Panther Rugby Football Club at UWM recorded their first Midwest Division I League victory on the road at Iowa State University this Saturday. This is only the second meeting between ISU and the Lady Panthers. In their first meeting, ISU defeated the Lady Panthers 19-17 to advance to the 2008 Midwest Division 1 Final Four. The Lady Panthers now stand 1-2 in League Play and are ranked nationally as Division 1 #9 by Alex Goff (formerly eRugbyNews.com) of Rugby Magazine (rugbymag.com). The Lady Panthers’ two losses were at the hands of National #7 University of Northern Iowa and National #8 Eastern Illinois University.

As dawn broke over the amber waves of Central Iowa, the bleak grey skies and biting cold promised a difficult day of rugby. Any moisture in the air crystallized into snow flurries that collected at the corners of buildings and on car windshields. The steady winds of the central great plains kept the snow flurries aloft as the Lady Panthers marched toward the field of play...all an incredible dichotomy from the extremely humid 77 degree weather in which the Lady Panthers faced Eastern Illinois just two weeks prior.

The match kicked off at 10:20 a.m., and to the chagrin of the Lady Panthers, it was apparent that Iowa State was ready to play. Iowa marched into Lady Panther territory from a lineout and looked to strike early. Lady Panther fullback Mollie Martin (Burnsville HS RFC, MN) covered the field to make the tackle near the Panther's own 22m. The Panthers managed to poach the ball from the breakdown but were run into touch by the Iowa State defense.

Iowa State's lineout missed its mark and the Panthers looked for an attack on the turnover. However the exchange between Panther inside Center Tina Gill (DSHA RFC, WI) and Panther outside center Maggie Reidy (DSHA RFC, WI) was well forward and Iowa State was awarded a scrum 20 meters out in front of the right post. And things just got worse as the Lady Panthers were penalized for barging and Iowa State awarded a free kick for the infringement.

The Panthers dodged a bullet as the ISU Free Kick was taken directly to touch and the Lady Panthers were awarded the lineout at the 20 meter instead of the 5 meter mark. The Panthers’ Caila Ney secured the lineout and set the maul to keep the defense honest. The attempt to clear-kick from Panther fly half Lindsey Fickau (Vernon U-19, WI) failed to make touch, but the ISU wing knocked on the catch giving the Panthers a scrum in more comfortable territory.

The Lady Panthers won the scrum, but ISU turned over the ball after two phases. ISU sent the ball wide left, but the ISU outside center knocked-on before any ground could be gained. From the restart scrum, the ISU scrumhalf was able to create enough havoc to force a turnover from the exchange between Lady Panther No. 8 Kati McCormick (Kettle Moraine U-19, WI) and scrumhalf Brittany Houston (Vernon U-19, WI). Fortunately for the Panthers, ISU was penalized for diving over at the breakdown and the Panthers took advantage with a quick-tap sending the ball out to fullback Mollie Martin who took the ball into three ISU defenders without looking for the pass out to uncovered Panther wing Sam Bruni (Vernon U-19, WI). Fortunately prop Julia Thorne (DSHA RFC, WI) arrived to cleanup Martin's near turnover.

Thorne's driving run set up ball-in-hand for No. 8 Kati McCormick, drawing the ISU defense then offloading to open flanker Caila Ney. As Ney scampered for the goal line, she was dragged down by the ISU defense. But the Lady Panther run support was overwhelming as lock Aimee Uher, wing Sam Bruni, tighthead prop Corin Jensen (Madison Militia U-19, WI), scrumhalf Brittany Houston, and hooker Theresa Trott were all available. Ney's offload pass found Houston on the run who shook off the last ISU defender to touch down at 5:58. Houston's conversion attempt into the steady Iowa wind at 6:45 was no good, and the Panther lead held at 5 - 0 going into the 7th minute of play.

The restart kick was just a bit too high for Panther No. 8 Kati McCormick. The ball was gathered deep by fullback Mollie Martin who displayed nice evasive running through to the 22m. Possession was secured at the ruck by hooker Theresa Trott and blindside flanker Meghan Hausman. Kati McCormick looked to take ball-in-hand with Panther lock Amber Faught (Lakewood HS RFC, OH) in support. However McCormick found open flanker Caila Ney with a pass to the blindside hinge.

Ney's run took the Panthers just short of halfway when Sam Bruni called for the offload. Brittany Houston followed Bruni up the touchline and took the next offload and the ball over the ISU 10m before sending the ball back inside to Bruni. WIth the Panther forwards in support, Bruni set up the breakdown, but the ISU forwards managed to poach. From there the two teams would trade possession each phase until the ISU backline was eventually stopped on a forward pass.

The Panthers won the ensuing scrum, and the open side backline kicked ahead to touch. Kati McCormick stole the ISU lineout and set up the backline by drawing the defense and feeding fly half Lindsey Fickau. Two timing miscues in the Panther backline left the ball unsecured, but lock Amber Faught regained possession and drew defenders on her strong run. Houston settled the ruck and sent forwards weak to attack the ISU hinge. Tighthead Cori Jensen took the ball within 10 meters of the ISU goal line, and the Panther forwards ground slowly towards in-goal with pick-and-drive attack.

Inches from the goal line, the stalwart ISU defense turned the ball over, but ran into their own player drawing an obstruction penalty. The Panthers opted for the tap from penalty and looked to power in with the forwards. The maul did not produce clean ball and the Panthers were awarded a 5m scrum as they were moving forward prior to the stoppage. The Panthers were unable to control the scrum well enough to go for a push-over try and as scrumhalf Brittany Houston looked to play the ball, the ISU No. 9 wrapped Houston up, forcing a short and dangerous pass attempt to Lindsey Fickau at No. 10.

Fickau somehow managed to come up with the ball from 3 ISU defenders, and the Panther forwards took possession and drove a maul to within inches of goal. Houston settled the pack and passed clear to Fickau who sent the ball to outside center Maggie Reidy. Reidy gave fullback Mollie Martin a miss and hit wing Sam Bruni on a two-hop pass.

Bruni gathered the ball and cut back in against the sliding ISU defense. Martin looped outside for the offload, but Bruni was swallowed by three ISU defenders. The Panther Backline converged on Bruni and secured possession. Kati McCormick picked from the base of the ruck and drove towards the goal line, but the ensuing maul did not end successfully. The Panthers restarted from a 5m scrum, but were unable to get low enough on the drive for a push-over. Houston sent the ball to Martin on a blindside insert, but the ISU defense negated the attempt by Martin to send the ball out to Bruni. The Panther forwards took two phases to the blind, putting the second breakdown precariously close to the touch line.

Houston sent the ball back infield to Fickau who spun the ball to Tina Gill on a crash. The ISU defense converged around Gill, but Fickau came in to take Gill's post and grind toward the goal line on her own. As she powered through the ISU defense, Lindsey was able to ground the ball just over the goal line at 12:38. Houston's conversion attempt at 13:28 was again thwarted by the wind, and the Panther lead stayed at 10-0.

Lock Aimee Uher fielded the restart and took the ball straight ahead to the Panther 10 meter, where the forwards settled play with two ball-in-hand takes. Houston sent the ball to the backline where it eventually found blindside wing Val Seidl (Brookfield U-19, WI). Seidl was stood up by the ISU defense, but her centers bound on and drove her forward, eventually settling the maul into a ruck. Fickau took ball-in-hand and fought through 5 ISU defenders before being brought to ground where Kati McCormick again took ball-in-hand. The ruck was untidy and the Panther forwards were penalized for hands-in.

ISU kicked to touch from the penalty and backed the Panthers up to their own 22m. From the lineout, ISU won possession and tapped back from the catch. The Panther forwards pressured past the ISU forwards, and converged on the 10 - 13 exchange forcing a knock-on just short of the Panther 10m. The Panthers won clean possession after one reset and No. 8 Kati McCormick took blind with Houston in support. ISU managed to turn over the ball, but the Panthers won it back after one phase.

Houston was caught in the ruck, and fullback Mollie Martin cleared the ball to Fickau who cleared her lines with a kick over the ISU open wing. ISU ran it back in to their forwards, but were penalized for not retreating from the breakdown. Brittany Houston took the penalty from the halfway mark, tapped and sent the ball out to flanker Caila Ney who took the ball around the corner of the ISU defense before getting dragged down inside 10 meters from the goal line. Wing Sam Bruni stayed on her support line and Ney offloaded to her from the tackle. Bruni took the ball and went in for a try at 17:20. Houston's conversion attempt at 18:07 was good and the Panthers went ahead 17-0.

The Panthers fielded the ball clean on the restart kick, set a maul and drove to their 10m when ISU was penalized for collapsing the maul. Houston opted for the tap-and-run and the Panthers moved steadily up-field into ISU territory. ISU eventually turned over the ball and cleared their lines with a kick to the Panther back three where Bruni was eventually run into touch. ISU knocked-on in the lineout and the Panthers were awarded a scrum at 15 near their own 10m.

The Panthers won the scrum and marched ahead with forward offloads. When the continuity passing dried up, Houston sent the ball wide to Fickau who placed a kick over the head of the open wing. Sam Bruni chased the loose ball down and kicked ahead into in-goal. Bruni outpaced the ISU defenders and fell on the ball in-goal at 23:00 for her second try of the day. The wind caught Houston's conversion attempt at 23:58 and the Panthers were in the lead 22-0.

The Panthers took the restart and marched down to the ISU 22m on offload passing before being run into touch. ISU secured the lineout and clear kicked back to their own 10m. The Panthers won their own lineout and sent the ball out the backline. The Panther forward support was a bit too slow and the ISU defense poached the ball.

ISU sent the ball around the corner of the Panther defense, but fullback Mollie Martin managed to slow the ISU attack before Tina Gill and Val Seidl brought the ball carrier to ground inside the Panther 22m. This time it was the Panther's turn to poach the ball and the forwards took the turnover and marched up-field on ball-in-hand rugby. ISU was penalized for offside just over the Panther 22m. Houston cleared the ball into touch near the Panther 10m. Flanker Caila Ney brought the ball down with typical poise and Houston sent the ball on its way to the backline. Things were going well for the Panthers until a forced pass by Mollie Martin created turnover ball for Iowa State inside the Panther 22m.

ISU had the ball in the maul and was driving forward. The maul again ended unsuccessfully, and ISU was awarded a scrum restart. But the Panthers initiated a wheel and turned the scrum past 90 degrees before ISU could use the ball thereby regaining possession. At the restart the Lady Panthers easily secured possession and Fickau cleared her lines with a kick over the ISU blind wing. Martin covered defensively and forced ISU inside. The ISU wing passed into the ISU outside center who had a go with the ball but lost it forward in contact. The Panthers were awarded a scrum restart...

...And then the video camera batteries died due to the cold. Seriously.

But...Mollie Martin closed the scoring in the half with a try of her own at 36:56. Houston's conversion at 37:51 was into the wind and failed to find its mark. And the Lady Panthers headed into the halftime rest on top 27-0.

The second half was decidedly all UWM as Brittany Houston opened the scoring at 44:57 with her second try of the day, but failed in her conversion attempt at 45:45. Although the tide of the game swelled in the Panthers' favor, the effort of the ISU scrumhalf and ISU No. 8 Katie Weber must be noted. They were simply all over the field, and made phenomenal plays on both defense and offense.

Mollie Martin was the next Panther to touch down at 54:02. Houston nailed the conversion at 55:00 and would score again on tries at 63:03 and 68:10 with conversions at 63:58, 69:00, 73:05, 74:51 and 79:41. Houston finished the day with 34 points.

Mollie Martin was in for her third try at 70:55, and Kati McCormick posted two tries of her own at 74:06 and 79:02.

The Lady Panthers have a bye on the weekend of October 17-18 and will host the Midwest U-19 & U-17 Select Side Tryout and USA Rugby U-20 National Team Head Coach Bryn Chivers at the Milwaukee County Lake Park "Gun Club" pitch on the north end of Lincoln Memorial Drive on Milwaukee's Lakefront.

Sincerely,
J. Scot Prunckle
Head Coach - UW-Milwaukee Women's RFC

The first trailer for Clint Eastwood's Nelson Mandela/apartheid film Invictus is now online, and you can see it below.

Morgan Freeman is starring as Mandela, who, freshly elected as the president of South Africa, searches for ways to unite his split country in the wake of apartheid.

Figuring that sport can be a universal language , he encourages the captain of the nation's rugby team Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) to push his team to get to the 1995 World Cup Championship.

I am extremely excited to see this film, pass the words to your friends!

Along with the WPL and Div 1 Club the Div 2 Club Championships will also be the weekend of Nov 7-8, 2009 in Houston, TX.

For more details on the tournament, please visit the D2 Women's Rugby page here.

History 2009: Southern California and West join the tournament. USA Rugby endorses tournament and is given responsibility for seeding. 2008: Full results 2007: WDII Tournament held at same site as USA Rugby Women's DI Championships 2006: Full results 2005: MARFU joins the tournament. 2004: USARS joins the tournament. A nearby MARFU team was included, but 2005 would be the first official year of MARFU participation. http://www.rugbymag.com/archive/2004/july/wmnsd2.htm 2003: Full results 2002: Full results 2001: First year. Participating TUs were Northeast & Midwest.

In a continuing partnership with USA Rugby, YSC is proud to bring you the Week 5 Women's Premier League Videos. Thank you to all the teams for your commitment to highlighting women's rugby and continuing to use technology to further the game.

Week 5: Amazons vs. Berkeley from Women's Premier League Rugby on Vimeo.

Week 5: ORSU @ MN Valkyries - 1st half from Women's Premier League Rugby on Vimeo.

Week 5: Beantown @ DCFuries 1st Half from Women's Premier League Rugby on Vimeo.

Week 5: New York at Keystone from Women's Premier League Rugby on Vimeo.

Other Rugby Video Mondays:
10/12/2009: Week 4 WPL Videos
10/5/2009: Week 3 WPL Videos
9/28/2009: Why Do I Play Rugby?
9/14/2009: Week 1 WPL Videos
9/8/2009: Austin Valkyries vs Texas A&M University - Sep 5, 2009

Please keep sending me your favorite videos to wendy@scrumhalfconnection.com! Make sure to check out the YSC VimeoChannel or my Youtube channel...and you can subscribe to both if you like, but keep in mind that all new videos will be onVimeo only as they are recorded in High Definition.

This past Sunday the New York Women took the pitch with one thing on their minds: winning. With that plan in mind, boots tied tight, and freshly washed uniforms tucked in, the women charged at the visiting Furies team from first whistle to the three whistle finish.

Only 39 seconds into the game the silence of the score board was broken by NYRC’s Vanesha McGee with her first of two tries for the half. Following her tries Jenna Flateman touched one down, and Maura Weikman (The Maura Weikman) knocked in two conversions for the NY squad. The Furies undoubtedly fought back hard with a try scored in the 37 minute of the first half. The half ended with NY’s Christina Hobson pushing a try pasted the Furies defense. Hobson having spent most of the season injured came back to start and score in her first game of the season. The score was 29-5 at half.
Following the brief half-time the New York women put in three more tries, while the furies put two pasted the New York defense. The game finished with a score of 48 – 15, both teams leaving the pitch exhausted.

The New York Women are now back to the grind on the turf of Pier 40 getting ready for their trip to nationals. They are set to play Beantown in the semi-final round of the tournament. East coast rivals meet again.

Points Scored:

NY
McGee (3)
Flateman (3)
Hobson (1)
Henry (1)
Weikman (4 conversions)

Furies
Berger (1)
Miller (1)


The final WPL game for both Beantown and Keystone raised the amount of pre-game tension to an entirely new level. The outcome of this game decided finaly four for the cup championship taking place in two weeks in San Francisco, California.

The game got off to a late start due to some equipment issues- but at least it was a beautiful day for Rugby with the miserable weather from Saturday giving way to a warm, sunny, Sunday. Once the game began, the energy was almost palpable on both sides of the field making this easily, the fastest paced game I've seen all season. For the most part, Keystone dominated the scrums forcing Beantown to take advantage of their speedy back line.

There were some really nice connections throughout the game. Jamie Burke, who played second row and prop, had a nice 20m carry popping off to Emilie Bydwell who passed to Amy Daniels for the try. Beantown's second try came about ten minutes later off of a Keystone lineout gone-wrong and after a couple of phases, Flyhalf, Kelly Seary passed to an on-running Fullback Katie Dowty who dished it off to #14, Yancy Graf.

The first twenty-five minutes of the second half was played entirely within Beantown's 22m allowing Keystone's #14 Jen Sinkler to break through a gap at the 5m line and score Keystone's try of the day. That try scared Beantown into playing better defense, and the remaining time was spent mostly on attack for the women in Red and Blue.

Overall, the game between Keystone and Beantown was one that endorsed the strengths of each team and conversely, exposed their weaknesses. Each team came back from the early morning stress with a desire to win. Beantown took the loss to Keystone earlier in the season as even more or a reason to want to win. The tenacity that Beantown brings to each and every game they play, is unmatched by any other in the league.

The game ended with the final score of 12-7, Beantown.


The Keystone and Beantown rematch was as tough and hard fought as expected. This time, Keystone was on the losing end. In a hotly-contested match, which saw multiple turnovers and mishandles forced by both squads, Beantown emerged as winners with a score of 12-7.

After having the game delayed by 45 minutes due to missing goal post pads, it took both teams about 15 minutes to regain their focus from warm-ups and find any sort of rhythm.

Beantown played their usual game of utilizing their forwards to create go forward and suck in the defense in the hopes of creating holes out wide. Their efforts paid off around the 16th minute when Amy Daniels broke through for the unconverted try. Yancy Graf put them up by 12 with a converted try at the 25th minute of the match.

Keystone knew it had opportunities to run the ball wide and in 29th minute of the second half, capitalized on one such shot. Wing Jen Sinkler broke through Beantown’s defensive wall and dotted the try down in the middle of the try zone. Flyhalf Ines Rodriguez converted, pulling Keystone within five.

Keystone had the momentum and held onto possession for most of the remaining minutes even getting great breaks down field, however they’re weren’t able to turn those breaks into trys.

Beantown had another chance to score from a scrum five meters out, but Keystone’s defensive stance wouldn’t allow it. In the waning minutes of the match, Keystone again looked poised to score another try to either tie the match or win it all. Unfortunately the ball was turned over and kicked out of touch by Beantown to end the match.

Keystone will use the bye week to prepare for the first-ever WPL National Championship series being held in San Francisco, November 6-8.


The Twin Cities Amazons fought hard in Sunday’s match against the Minnesota Valkyries but unfortunately it ended in a shut out. The match opened with a strong push by the Valkyries ending in a try by their scrumhalf and a made conversion in the 5th minute of the match. The Valkyries scored again on a back line play and again, made the conversion.

The Amazons put up a tough defense but the Valkyries were able to score again in the 25th minute making the score 19-0. During the next possession the Amazons were looking to be in great shape to set up a try but a cheap shot by a Valkyries player took out Amazon scrumhalf Colleen Tjosvold which left them at a disadvantage. The Valkyries drove through the Amazon defense again scoring a dry and a penalty kick on their next two possessions. At the end of the half, the Amazons capitalized on a series of penalties by the Valkyries and drove the ball down to within the 5 meter line. Unfortunately, the half was over before the Amazons could earn any points. The Valkyries led 27-0 after the first half.

The Amazons came out strong in the second half, holding the Valkyries back with some solid defense for the first 15 minutes. The Valkyries picked up three quick tries in the last quarter of the match and made two conversion kicks. In the end the Amazons almost scored, holding possession within the Valkyries 5 meter line for the closing minutes of the match but they were unable to capitalize on their opportunity. In the end, the Valkyries shut out the Amazons 46-0.

The game ended with the final score of 12-7, Beantown.


Following last Sunday’s victory against ORSU, the Minnesota Valkyries again left their opponents scoreless. With efforts from every teammate, the Valkyries pulled together a team win, leaving little room for the Amazons to attack, punching holes in their defense. Phase play after kick off led the Valkyries into their green zone and set up a five-meter attacking scrum. From the base, it was Katy Hertel who looked up and saw the opening, touching down for the Valkyries’ first try at 4:46 into the game. A successful conversion by Dez Markovich put the Valkyries in the lead, 7-0. It was Markovich who touched down the next three tries, but it was certain that this was no one-man show. The try at 14 minutes came off of a dish from Jillion Potter who was able to control the ball off of another five-meter scrum and set up her teammate. The two following tries came through the hands of the backs. Halfway through the first half, Christy Ringgenberg and Sarah Reuter were able to assist Markovich for a try just in from touch. Ten minutes later, the ball passed through the hands of Hannah Stolba, Mel Kanuk, and Ringgenberg and was touched down by Markovich for her third try. Kicking at a penalty, Markovich split the posts and added three to the Valkyries’ first half score, bringing it to 27-0. A tough fight on the try line just before half showed the efforts of the Amazon forwards, who worked to push in a five-meter lineout. They could not find the ground, however, with Kristy Lear fighting to keep the ball up and leaving the Zons without a score.

Patience was the key as maroon found themselves in the green zone without a score after 14 minutes. With the Valkyrie pack scrumming down yet again, the forwards were able to create a steady platform and set up Kristin Zdanczewicz for the try. A successful conversion by Markovich put the Valks on the board again. Christy Ringgenberg’s 60-meter run had her swerving past defenders and using half-gaps without hesitation just minutes later. Teammates ran in support of Ringgenberg, but her aggressive attack placed her cleanly between the posts. Markovich converted and it was soon Ringgenberg again with her second try, taking the kick pass from Stolba and running it down the sideline for a try that left the spectators gasping. Showing that no one works harder than the Valkyries, both forwards and backs dug deep at the end of the game to hold up multiple Amazon attacks from both scrums and rucks. The final score finished the game with the Valkyries winning, 46-0.

The Valkyries will face Berkeley at Nationals on November 9.

1. Sarah Chobot
2. Libby Berg
3. Jen Triemstra
4. Jenny Menke
5. Sarah Walsh
6. Garnet Towne
7. Kristin Zdanczewicz
8. Jillion Potter
9. Katy Hertel
10. Hannah Stolba
11. Kristy Lear
12. Mel Kanuk
13. Christy Ringgenberg
14. Sarah Reuter
15. Dez Markovich
16. Amanda Douglas
17. Angie Heifort (for 5 at 50:00)
18. Meredith Mrachek (for 2 at 75:00)
19. Laura Gill (for 1 at half)
20. Gabe Fidelman (for 12 at 63:00)
21. Kat Vater
22. Justina Debruzzi

For Day 1 action go here.

from USA Rugby:

ACTON, Mass. – Following day two of competition at NARA Park, the top four seeded teams still remain in the hunt for the Women’s Club Championship title.

Northern Virginia (NOVA), the San Diego Surfers, the Atlanta Harlequins and the Seattle Breakers will have two weeks to prepare for the Championship weekend set to be held Nov. 6-8 on Treasure Island in San Francisco.

NOVA was the first team to qualify, following an evenly matched game versus hosts Boston. Both teams put up aggressive defensive showings in the first half, holding the score to just 5-0 in NOVA’s favor at the break.

Northern Virginia’s Stacy Bennett touched down her second try of the day inside minute 54 and less than 10 minutes later, winger Lauren Hoeck snuck into the corner to give NOVA an added boost to 15-0.

The host team did not back down and eventually battled its way down the field and launched a comeback at minute 69 with a try from Caitlin O’Leary, which narrowed the gap to 10 points.
However, time was not on their side, and when the final whistle sounded, the tally stuck at 15-5, booking NOVA’s ticket to San Francisco for a semifinal meeting versus the Seattle Breakers.
“I thought Boston played extremely well, they came out and played hard the whole 80 minutes. We’ve faced them during the regular season and one of their notable traits is that they never ever give in and they did a great job of pushing us today,” NOVA Coach Scott Delaney said. “We’re thrilled to advance to the semifinals after this hard fought match. Not only did Boston play well, they hosted a terrific tournament and it was great across the board.”

Seattle continued its road to the finals with a 20-3 victory over the Glendale Lady Raptors on Sunday afternoon. The Breakers got on the board first with a penalty kick by Kasha Roseta, but just more than five minutes later the Raptors’ Karla Leopold had evened the score at 3-3.

While Glendale defended well, Seattle continued on the attack and broke through once before the break and had a slight edge, 10-3, heading into the second half. Neither team got the ball to drop in their favor until midway through the half, when Seattle No. 8 Tonia Winchester dotted down and flyhalf Mari Therrien sealed her team’s fate with the game’s final try at 74 minutes.

Also moving on to the semifinal round in San Francisco are the Atlanta Harlequins, after handing Philadelphia a 17-5 defeat. Following a tough match versus Detroit on Saturday, Philly entered the match ready to face the new challenge posed by the tournament’s No. 3 seed and struck early, with Katy Black touching down inside minute 12.

In an aggressive first half, Atlanta had the last word, with a try from Carly Harrington in minute 30. Flyhalf Heather Hale’s conversion boosted the Harlequins ahead, 7-5 before switching sides.
Strong defensive play from Philly in the second half kept Atlanta from the tryzone until the 50th minute, with prop Erin Diehl pushing through and Hale again converting. Hale’s precise boot was tested once more when she successfully footed a penalty kick from more than 40 meters out to earn Atlanta the win.

Atlanta will face the No. 2 seeded San Diego Surfers in the semifinals in San Francisco.
“This was our game today – we put all the pieces together and played 15-player rugby. We’ve had some setbacks during the season, but today the team pulled together a full 80-minutes and we played our tails off,” Atlanta Coach Patty Jervey said. “We’re really excited to travel to California and look forward to playing San Diego – I think they have a similar style to ours so it should make for an exciting match up. “

The San Diego Surfers shut out the Austin Valkyries 39-0 to earn their spot in the semis. Surfers wing Casey Field led the team’s scoring charge with two tries, while center Daralisa Cheung had nine points (1 try, 2 conv). Rebecca Williams, Audrey Johnson, Amanda Wilson and Alyssa Barker scored a try each in the win.

In the consolation matches earlier in the day, NorCal Triple Threat defeated Chicago North Shore 10-7 and Belmont Shore shut out Detroit 22-0.

For more information on the USA Rugby Women’s Club Championships, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/championships. 


DAY 2 RESULTS – Sunday, Oct. 25

NorCal Triple Threat 10, Chicago North Shore 7 (Consolation)
Belmont Shore 22, Detroit 0 (Consolation)
NOVA 15, Boston 5
San Diego Surfers 39, Austin Valkyries 0
Atlanta 17, Philadelphia 5
Seattle Breakers 20, Glendale 3

DAY 1 RESULTS – Saturday, Oct. 24

Boston 15, Chicago North Shore 
3

Philadelphia 10, Detroit 5

Glendale 20, NorCal Triple Threat 0

Austin Valkyries 7, Belmont Shore 
5

For day 2 action go here.

from USA Rugby:

ACTON, Mass. – Despite soggy conditions, the crowd at NARA Park witnessed its share of exciting matches day one of the USA Rugby Women’s College Playoffs on Saturday.

Following some highly contested matches, Boston, Philadelphia, Glendale and the Austin Valkyries remain in the hunt for the Championships and advance to the round of eight on Sunday. Local favorites the Boston Women kicked the day off on a high note with a three try victory over Chicago North Shore when competition got underway on Saturday morning. Propelled by lock Erin Broderick, who converted her own try and booted a penalty kick, Boston shot ahead to a 10-0 lead before halftime and continued to hold its ground in the second half. Chicago got on the board inside minute 66 with a penalty kick from Emily Riehl, but was unable to gain momentum from there, as Boston maintained strong field position and dominated possession for the remainder of the half. In the 69th minute, Boston’s Xaymara Saez dotted down the final try of the match to put the score at 15-3. Boston advances to face top-seeded NOVA on Sunday (11 am), while North Shore meets Detroit in a consolation match when play resumes (9 am).

Following a nail-biting match versus Detroit, Philadelphia launched a late comeback for a 10-5 victory to keeps its championship hopes alive. Detroit drew first blood and got on the board within the first 10 minutes of the match with a try from outside center Kylie Newman. The Michigan side defended well and held Philly from the try zone for the remainder of the half to go to the benches at 5-0. Slick field conditions tested handling skills in the second half, but both teams remained steadfast toward the tryzone. Philly was the first to strike, as Meredith Hegg crossed over to even the score. Following an aggressive back and forth battle, Philadelphia again pushed over the line to go ahead 10-5, with less than 15 minutes left to play. Fighting with all they had, Detroit surged toward the goal to tie the game as the clock wound down, but could not get the ball to drop before the whistle. Philadelphia moves on to face the tournament’s No. 3 seed, Atlanta, on Sunday at 1p.m., while Detroit sees a consolation match versus Chicago North Shore.

Glendale took control early in its match versus NorCal Triple Threat. The Lady Raptors got on the board inside the 19th minute with a penalty kick from Karla Leopold and less than three minutes later, fullback Bethany Zick broke into the tryzone to go up 8-0. Battling through the pouring rain, the Raptors dominated possession in the first half and once again, off a true team effort, Glendale lock Jaime Lang found an opening to dot down the team’s third try. Just before the close of the first half, flyhalf Katie Thoreson snuck in for another to go up 20-0, where the score held until the end. Glendale will play No. 2 seeded Seattle Breakers to round out the day of competition on Sunday (2 pm) and NorCal will see Belmont Shore in a consolation match at 9 a.m.

In a highly physical match, Belmont Shore was narrowly edged out by the Austin Valkyries, 7-5, when play concluded at NARA Park on Saturday. The Valkyries’ Kandis Ruiz scored the only try of the first half, inside minute 12 and Rachel Kraft converted to put Austin ahead 7-0 at the break. Belmont Shore stuck close in the game and played excellent defense to keep Austin at bay and kept on the attack until the ball finally dropped in their favor in the 64th minute. Replacement Chloe Williams was able to push through to put her team within striking distance, but with the missed conversion the tally held at 7-5 until the end. Austin will meet the San Diego Surfers at noon on Sunday, while Belmont Shore faces NorCal at 9 a.m.

Weather permitting, USA Rugby will show Sunday’s Field 1 matches LIVE via webcast on USTREAM.

DAY 1 RESULTS – Saturday, Oct. 24
1. Boston 15, Chicago North Shore 3
2. Philadelphia 10, Detroit 5
3. Glendale 20, NorCal Triple Threat 0
4. Austin Valkyries 7, Belmont Shore 5

DAY 2 SCHEDULE – Sunday, Oct 25

5. Chicago North Shore vs. Detroit - Field 1, 9 a.m. (Consolation)
6. NorCal Triple Threat vs. Belmont Shore - Field 2, 9 a.m. (Consolation)
7. NOVA vs. Boston - Field 1, 11 a.m.
8. San Diego Surfers vs. Austin Valkyries – Field 2, 12 p.m.
9. Atlanta vs. Philadelphia – Field 1, 1 p.m.
10. Seattle Breakers vs. Glendale - Field 2, 2 p.m.

This is an AWESOME request from Annemarie! How cool would it be to name your rugby team? Help them out by reading below!

from my inbox:

It's Annemarie from up north!

The new Ithaca Women's rugby team is on a search for a team name/mascot. We're 4 months old now and after a successful summer of 7s we have a roster of 24 women, the vast majority playing this sport for the first time (plus we won a game already, 1-1 on the season).

Anyway, if you have any ideas or want to post it, people can go to our website www.ithacarugby.com and submit an idea for a team name (box on front page to submit). If their submission is chosen they get a free IWRFC t-shirt and bragging rights.

Happy brainstorming!

Best,
Annemarie
President, Ithaca (INSERT NEW NAME) Women's Rugby

Kickoff was at high noon in the desert in Scottsdale, AZ. The Lady Fog traveled down to play the hosts, Tempe, for the final official match of the season. The Lady Fog got on the board quickly, with 3 unanswered tries in the first 20 minutes.

The Tempe ladies were coming off a loss the night before to the Seattle Breakers, and battled to put points on the board before the half. At halftime the score was Fog: 21, Tempe: 7. The heat took its effect on both teams in the second half, to the greater detriment of the visiting team. Tempe put up another try and after Fog's #7 (Megan Brown) was sin binned for a dangerous tackle, Tempe capitalized of the Fog's missing 15th player by scoring two quick tries within 10 minutes. The Fog was back up to 15 on the pitch, the ladies settled back into their groove. With the score at Fog: 28, Tempe: 26, Fog's #6 (Kristen Driskell) took a quick tap off a penalty and charged down the pitch. Lacking support, she was tackled and quickly got to her feet and recovered her own ball. She passed it off to a rookie #3 (Cynthia Wright) was in support, who scored a try to seal the win for the Fog.

Tempe kept up the pace, but Fog's defense held them for the final minutes of the match. Erin Vancellette, Fog's #13, converted all 5 tries, with a final score of Fog: 35, Tempe: 26. Ardia Kelker, #15, scored 3 tries. The Tempe Women and the Fog both finished their seasons with 4-4 records.

Kevin Sullivan

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RugbyDept Essence V Ball - Beth Halldorson
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RugbyDept Tshirt - Large Black - Rebekah Knappe, Parker, CO
RugbyDept Tshirt - Large Black - Becky Lee, Phoenix, AZ
RugbyDept Shorts - XXXL (42) Blue/Yellow - Jaimee Lynn Nelsen
RugbyDept Shorts - Youth (30) Orange/White - Marlee Sundo, Pittsburgh, PA
RugbyDept Tshirt - Med White - Marina McCuskey, Duluth, MN






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Keystone lost its rematch with New York, 26-0. There’s no doubt that the 40 degree temperature and rain-soaked pitch made for a very tough match. However, Keystone’s inability to sustain continuity was ultimately the cause of their loss.

From the start, both teams were off and running, trying their best to maintain possession and pressure the other team into forced errors. NY did a better job at this as Keystone wasn’t able to hold onto possession for more than a couple of phases before turning the ball over.

Penalties again plagued Keystone and just like the first time the two teams met, NY was able to use the quick tap opportunities to spread the ball and capitalize on the infringements.

Throughout the match, Keystone forwards dominated NY in the scrum and in open-field play, however NY was able to pressure and/or win many of Keystone’s lineouts, again forcing turnover ball. In the end, it was NY’s ability to maintain possession and get the ball to some key playmakers that allowed them to run away with the game.

Keystone will now get ready for their Oct. 25th rematch against Beantown in Boston.


It was a beautiful day for rugby in Minneapolis last Sunday when the Twin Cities Amazons hosted the Berkeley All Blues. The Amazons fought hard but in the end, Berkeley came out on top. The Amazons dominated possession for the first eight minutes but an intercepted Amazon pass lead to a Berkeley try in the tenth minute of the match giving them the lead right out of the gate. Amazon lock Anna Brown broke away with a great run during the next possession bringing the Amazon’s deep into Berkeley territory. Unfortunately for the Zons possession was lost and Berkeley #14 had a big run bringing the ball back within the Amazon’s 22.

In the 20th minute of the match Amazon back Amanda Kingzett broke through the All Blue’s defense and was tackled around midfield. Colleen Tjosvold picked the ball out of a ruck and ran the ball deep into Berkeley territory. This possession ended in an Amazon try by inside center Amanda Kingzett with a made conversion by flyhalf Reebok Radtke.

A series of penalties by the All Blues during the next possession allowed the Amazons to move the ball all the way up field. The Amazons did a fabulous job capitalizing on Berkeley’s mistakes and maintaining possession. Amazon Hooker Tonnie Wulff kept the possession going with a series of perfect lineout throws. By the 35th minute of the match, the Amazons had driven the ball inside the All Blue’s 22 meter mark. The forwards attempted to hammer it into the try zone and in the end, Amazon outside center Lynelle Kugler broke through the defense and make the score 12-5 at half.

The Amazons opened the second half strong with a nice back line play leading to another try by Lynelle Kugler. The All Blues answered with a break away run by #14 leading to another five points for Berkeley making the score 17-10 Amazons. The All Blues brought the ball back into Amazon territory and scored again by a nice run by Ashley English. Berkeley was relentless and the Amazons were beginning to fall apart. Berkeley capitalized on a tired Amazon team and hammered the ball into the try zone twice taking the lead and making the score 25-17 Berkeley. The Amazons came back with amazing runs by Ashley Loosbrock and Ashley Mulford bringing the ball within the Berkeley 5 meter line. By the end, the Amazons were tired and the All Blues capitalized once more making the final score Berkeley 32, Amazons 17.


The Washington Furies continued their strong showing in the second half of the regular season with an 18-0 loss to Beantown on Sunday. The visitors struck first on the cold, blustery day, mauling up the right side in the 6th minute for the comfortable try by flanker Katy Augustyn at the back of the pack. Although the conversion kick was no good, the quick score and dominant maul could have put the Furies on their heels. Instead, Beantown would not score another try in the first half.

The sides traded fierce runs by the backs and loose forwards and ferocious punches by the tight five, but both defenses were able to contain line breaks and largely avoid mistakes handling kicks, despite the wet ball and capricious wind. In the 20th minute, the Furies’ Kelly Clerkin blocked a Beantown kick, sending the ball bouncing into the try zone, but Beantown was able to recover the ball first. The Furies would come within striking distance once more, but tough Beantown defense and an inopportune knock-on kept them from scoring. In the 34th minute, a penalty on the Furies would result in a successful penalty kick by Beantown’s Ashley Snyder, putting her team up 8-0. At the half, that’s how the score stood.

The second half started out just as fierce, with both teams playing smart, attacking rugby. Beantown worked the Furies deep into their own territory, and in the 56th minute, Beantown’s Amy Daniels outran the defense to score a dazzling try up the left side. In the 62nd minute, Beantown No. 8 Melanie Denham got her own try on the left side. Beantown failed to convert either kick for points after, but expanded their lead to 18-0.

In the 66th minute, the Furies’ Emily Miller was sin binned for 10 minutes for not rolling away, a punishment for cumulative team penalties. Despite playing a man down, the Furies were able to keep Beantown out of their try zone. In the closing minutes, the Furies would push deep into Beantown territory with quick runs, dishes and digs, but the visitors were able to clear the ball to bring the referee’s game-ending whistle.

“I was thrilled,” said Furies head coach Nancy Fitz. “I thought we played and competed really hard for 80 minutes. Just the improvement from the last time we played Beantown was remarkable. People are starting to believe that they can compete individually with these players from these other teams, and, even more so, we’re starting to believe that we’re at that same level.”


After their loss to Berkeley two weekends ago, the Minnesota Valkyries came into the ORSU match with clear goals to attack throughout the game, aiming to make a statement early and drive Portland back into their red-zone. The Valkyries spent time this past week focusing on set pieces, tidying up timing and execution, and focusing on the forward attack that would set the tone of the match. Working through a cold spell that will go down in Minnesota history as the coldest October start on record, the Valkyries welcomed blue skies and a mid-40’s start to the match on Sunday in North Minneapolis.

Driving past ORSU’s 22, the Valkyries capitalized on a penalty play with number eight, Jillion Potter, scoring the first try of the match off of a dish from Katy Hertel. A missed conversion by Dez Markovich put the Valkyries up with 5, and back to the 50 for the restart. A few minutes later, it was wing Kristy Lear and inside center Mel Kanuk with a blocked kick that found touch and set up the lineout that would place Tracy Call in position to receive the ball from Christy Ringgenberg who found the try line for the second score of the game. The second conversion was missed, but the Valkyries were determined to attack again, with Gabe Fidelman making a piercing run down the middle of the field for a score and Markovich converting to bring the game to a 17-0 Valkyries lead. As she has done throughout the season, Jillion Potter took space and attacked a kick from ORSU on the 50-meter line, pulling together her teammates in support for a multi-phase team try that was eventually touched down by Markovich at the 21st minute. Finishing out the half were tries from Hannah Stolba and Tracy Call, both with assists from teammates who were able to run attacking angles and penetrate ORSU’s defense to set up the scores. At the 40-minute whistle, the Valkyries led 36-0.

In the second half, the Valkyries again took off with a solid attack, fielding kicks and taking advantage of turn-overs to push into scoring position. Ringgenberg was the first to score at 49 minutes, with Hannah Stolba taking over for the conversion kicks in the second half. Using her speed on the outside, Sarah Reuter scored back-to-back tries, assisted by Ringgenberg both times. Kristin Zdanczewicz found open space to touch the ball down at minute 71, followed by scores from inside center Kanuk and outside center Ringgenberg. Stolba was three for six in her conversions, working some difficult angles at the posts. The work the Valkyries put in this past week defensively and at the breakdown paid off for Minnesota on Sunday: the teammates in maroon supported each other and maintained form throughout the majority of the game.

The Valkyries will meet the Amazons next Sunday in Eagan, Minnesota for the final home game of the season.

1. Sarah Chobot
2. Libby Berg
3. Jen Triemstra
4. Jenny Menke
5. Garnet Towne
6. Gabe Fidelman
7. Kristin Zdanczewicz
8. Jillion Potter
9. Katy Hertel
10. Hannah Stolba
11. Kristy Lear
12. Mel Kanuk
13. Christy Ringgenberg
14. Tracy Call
15. Dez Markovich
16. Sarah Walsh (for 5 at 30:00)
17. Angie Heifort (for 6 at 58:00)
18. Meredith Mrachek (for 2 at 56:00)
19. Laura Gill (for 1 at 46:00)
20. Sarah Reuter (for 15 at half)