Our game versus the VRU team had been moved up out of concern for the weather, so departure times had to be moved up as well. It was still dark all the way through DC and Baltimore as I drove to pick up teammates, but even when the sun did rise we couldn’t see it through the clouds and rain.
However, by the time we made it to Edgely Field, conditions had cleared up. The pitch was pretty water-logged, but there were no standing puddles and the sun actually came out a little. As we warmed up, the wind began to pick up, but the weather stayed clear.
Finally, we kit up into our white-and-red jerseys and shorts and took the field. It was my third year wearing the number 8 to represent the PRU, and I was nervous and excited. We played a hard match in the first half, but still let the VRU get four tries through. After the half and some substitutions, however, the PRU really pulled together and held the scoring even. Supporting from the sidelines, I was excited and proud by how well the team played – it was a clear improvement over past years.
At the end of the match, the Philadelphia Women’s Club awarded lock Laura Miller the Player of the Match award – well deserved for a great player!
Next we all stripped out of our no-longer-white uniforms and piled into cars for an adventurous caravan back to the hotel. After snacks and showers, a group of us took our sore bodies downstairs to take advantage of the hotel’s pool and hot tub (!!) before heading to a delicious pasta dinner.
Post-dinner, we had a brief team meeting to go over strategy and talk about strengths and weaknesses of our performance on Saturday. We then split into forwards and backs to talk about what to focus on for our match against the MARFU U19 squad on Sunday. Sadly, we didn’t get to watch a copy of the game tape as planned (I was really looking forward to this, as I’ve never gotten to observe myself play!) but Coach Kenny Pope and assistant coaches Tosan Tutse-Tonwe and Deanna Church had some great insights despite our lack of technology.
KP also announced that the time of our Sunday match had been pushed back and that the pitch had been moved to New Jersey. In light of our later kick-off time, everyone was free to stay up late, hanging out and getting to know each other and generally enjoying the concentrated awesome that occurs anytime a big group of ruggers get together. But we did, after all, have another game on Sunday, so eventually everyone headed to bed.
Sunday morning, after taking advantage of the complimentary breakfast buffet as only rugby girls can, everyone packed back into cars to follow a circuitous route (more so for some than others!) to our pitch in South Jersey. As we arrived one by one, it became very clear to us that this would be a COLD match – the temperature had dropped and the wind was blowing hard. But we were warmed up and ready when the whistle finally blew.
It was clear from the start that this would be a very close match. The U19 players were tough and ran hard, but we fought for the ball and made it clear that we wanted to win. The score stayed close the whole first half as the wind pushed kicks and line-out throws completely off-target. Towards the end of the half, however, the PRU pulled ahead with a full-team try, slowly but surely punching the ball forward meter by meter, calmly making the gain line every phase until finally the ball crossed the line to be grounded by team forward effort.
The second half began as the day faded into twilight. The U19 team scored another try to bring the score near even, but the PRU team answered with a try of our own, putting us back in the lead. Still, it was by no means a sure thing, with the U19s forcing us back into our own 22. However, we successfully defended our turf (“PROTECT THIS HOUSE!!” as Dominique reminded us), and before the final whistle, we pushed another hard-won forward try into the try zone to finish with a 22-12 win.
By the time the game was over, the sun had nearly set and everyone was frozen numb, but we were ecstatic. We’d worked hard and played hard and had a great weekend. We got together one last time for a team photo and for Philly to name Lyndsey “Nips” Gibson (the AU captain) Player of the Match, then bundled up to finally head home, cold and exhausted but happy.
Photos on my Facebook
Congratulations to all my teammates for a match well-played, and I look forward to playing with and against every one of you!
2008 PRU U23
Sarah Brown (American U.)
Sarah Buhlman (Chesapeake)
Dominique Bunai (MD Exiles)
Julie Butner (DC Furies)
Loretta Charles (George Washington U.)
Sarah Childers (MD Stingers)
Jane Dewire (Georgetown U.)
Jessie Garth (MD Stingers)
Lyndsey Gibson (American U.)
Sara Gimmy (DC Furies)
Tanya Gouws (MD Exiles)
Krysi Hermes (American U.)
Liz Hilliard (American U.)
Alysia Holsey (U. Maryland)
Sarah Holzman (NOVA)
Bridget Kapinus (Georgetown U.)
Maura McGraw (George Washington U.)
Laura Miller (St. Mary's C.M.)
Lindsay Nugent (American U.)
Anne Paschke (MD Stingers)
Olivia Payne (U. Maryland)
Caitlin Webster (U. Maryland)
Mary Emma Young (DC Furies)
Coach Kenny Pope
Assistant Coaches: Tosan Tutse-Tonwe and Deanna Church
