May 22: Lions v NRU U23s

On Saturday, May 22, the Leonas had their final home game of the season, taking on the Northeast Regional Union’s Under-23 Select Squad at home on Randall’s Island. There were a good number of players out, and the weather was warm and sunny, very nice conditions for the game, if a bit hot out on the turf fields. The NRU team had a couple of size-able women, but pound-for-pound, the Lions were a larger team, which was something of a relief after the previous week’s match-up.

A relief at first, but once play had started, it became clear that the NRU players’ smaller size coupled with their quickness would make it a difficult game for the Lions. Prop Kelly Rogers noted that, “it was a very fast paced-game for the forwards, that’s for sure.” The Lions got caught up in the frenzy, and didn’t manage to settle into their own more orderly pattern of play.

The Lions’ disarray led them to concede more penalties then they otherwise might have, and the fit NRU ladies did not hesitate to take advantage of the territory gained. In the first half they scored 2 early tries, both resulting directly from penalties given up by the Lions. A further blow resulted when flyhalf Kim Dacres was sin-binned for high-tackling. It was the second such infringement by the Lions, and as the ref had already issued a warning, Kimbo was sent to the try zone for 10 minutes.

The Lions did manage to retain possession for several runs of play, and before the half this resulted in a try. The ball got out the line quickly from the breakdown, and fullback Kath Ryan burst through the defensive line. Scrumhalf Becca Asser looped her, running wide of the last defender, and touched the ball down in the corner. When the ball went out to the backline quickly and the play was run with precision, a try resulted.

At halftime a number of players were subbed in to have a run, and the Lions re-focused their efforts on playing at their own pace and to their own strengths. Megan Collins, captain and Woman of the Match, observed that, “There were moments where we played Lions rugby – smarter and more disciplined, however we just couldn’t string together these moments as often as we needed to to pull out the victory.”

The NRU players were playing their first game together, and while there was, “a lot of room for improvement,” according to coach Tony Brown, “their performance was very encouraging.” The NRU ran in 3 additional tries in the second half, and notched one conversion, for a total of 27 points.

Leona Jackie Finlan shimmied in for one more try before time was up; after receiving the ball from a switch midfield, she used her trademark dummy pass to work her way past 2 defenders and touch the ball down in the try zone. It was a glimmer of captivating play in a game where, for the most part, the Lions just weren’t firing on all cylinders.

WOM Collins summarized the experience: “Saturday’s game was frustrating, but once again it shows the team and coaches areas we need to concentrate on in the off-season to help prepare for the transition to D1 in the Fall….. As a team we need to move forward and use these past few games as learning experiences. As always, we dominated the social!”

Collins and Silent Force Kimbo Dacres (Collins + Kimbo = Combo!!) were powerful and consistent on the field, and also came strong for the social. Kimbo’s dress even matched the Silent Force belt! Declining to comment on the match, Kimbo preferred to state that she was, “looking forward to our fall season. And, hoping that 7′s gives the backs a lot of opportunity to maintain our speed and ball handling.”

Score: 10-27

Tries: Asser, Finlan

Lions: 1 Taryn Goodman 2 Meredith Harmon 3 Kelly Rogers 4 Sharon Berger 5 Jess Houser 6 Sari Warren 7 Tricia Stanley 8 Meg Collins 9 Becca Asser 10 Kim “Kimbo” Dacres 11 Caitlyn Colman 12 Erin Martschenko 13 Jackie Finlan 14 Sarah “Svetty” Landry 15 Kathleen Ryan 16 Stacey Weidaseck 17 Maggie McNicholas 18 Rebecca Mulder 19 Emi Okamoto 20 Mandy Fischer 21 Cerra Cardwell 22 Ros Anderson 23 Kim Salem 24 Katy Nishimoto

5/15: Lions vs Philly

Saturday the 15th of May, the Leonas traveled down to Philadelphia to play the Philly women, who will be in their divisional bracket in this fall’s league play. The weather was gorgeous, not too hot, with blue sky, and the grass field had only a slight slope and real uprights. Between the regatta taking place at the same park as the game, and the fact that it was Philly’s friends and family day, the mood was festive, and the Lions seemed ready to play.

From the first play, it was clear that Philly’s greater size in the pack would prove a decisive edge. Perhaps they were also thinking of Ruggerfest a few weeks before, when the Lions had beaten their tournament squad, and were anxious to prove themselves. In any case, Philadelphia came out and played with speed and conviction.

Two quick scores went unanswered, and the Lions knew that they were in for a long day. The big girls were difficult to tackle high, and the Lions had trouble adjusting their tackling style during the course of play. Philly’s forwards made nice crashing runs around the breakdown, and their ruthlessness at the rucks meant that they kept possession the majority of the time.

Near the end of the first half, the Lions answered back with a try. Awarded a penalty near the 30-meter mark, the forwards ran two punches to the strong side, sucking in defensive players and retaining possession. Scrumhalf Becca Asser then spun the ball out to the backs, and a nice little juke by outside center Jackie Finlan put her through to the try zone. The conversion kicked bounced off the post.

The halftime talk was encouraging, and the Lions decided to focus on setting up the post defense as quickly as possible and on tackling low. They also decided to eat more steak and grow at least 3-4 inches taller each, but those were the long-term goals.

The Lions didn’t roll over, but Philly’s size, skill and persistence paid more dividends in terms of the scoreline. Their pack had one impressive try where they drove a lineout maul in for a try from about 15 meters out. The Lions defended gallantly, although not everyone adjusted their tackling technique effectively.

Those who did re-focus on their tackling performed admirably, like outside center Alia Kate, who was fearless against the larger forwards. Woman of the Match Collins also did some impressive tackling; taking down Philly’s monstrous tight-head prop a number of times. The referee also tacitly acknowledged the size difference when she said to the Lion’s pack at large, “it’s possible to get her down, just remember to go low!”

Major props (heh) go to Silent Force Taryn Goodman, who was up against the tighthead prop all day, and, along with her usual reliable play in the loose, held her ground in the scrums for the full 80 minutes. She said, “Their pack was very strong, every scrum-down was very challenging.”

At the end of the game, Philly had run in 7 tries to 1 for the Lions, and although there was no doubt that the Lions had played bravely and with heart, the team was aware that they will have to be able to change tactics to effectively play (and win!) similar games in the future. Coach Mary addressed this succinctly in post-game wrap-up: “They were bigger than us and going low, and we’re smaller and trying to tackle high; it’s not a good combination.”

Score: 5-39

Try: Finlan

Lions team: 1 Goodman 2 Harmon (Wiedaseck) 3 Rogers (Fischer) 4 Cardwell (Salem) 5 Houser (Cardwell) 6 Warren (Fisher) 7 Stanley (Beck) 8 Collins 9 Asser 10 Dacres 11 Colman (Stevens) 12 Martschenko (Finlan) 13 Finlan (Kate) 14 Nishimoto (Mulder) 15 Landry (Okamoto)

Apr 24-25: DC Ruggerfest

The Leonas traveled down to our nation’s capital this weekend to play at the 30th annual Ruggerfest. The weather was cool and cloudy, but the anticipated showers held off for the weekend, leaving the uneven grass fields inside the racetrack nice and soft for tackling, but without the killer puddles present in years past. Standings after match play on Saturday determined seeding for Sunday morning’s games, and the Lions rose to the occasion and went 3-0.

Lions v. UMD
First up were the University of Maryland Terrapins. The youngsters played with verve and tenacity, but were fairly easily dispatched. The Lions were dominant in the set piece and more streamlined in the backs, and managed to run in 10 tries in 50 minutes.

The terps did have some aggressive runners in the forwards, and the Lions were sometimes a bit complacent about committing to the tackles, allowing one or two of Maryland’s stronger players to make some crushing runs upfield.

Scrumhalf Dana Szakacs (pictured left), however, committed to tackling early and often, and put in a number of good hits on players double her size.

Score: 58-0
Tries: Collins (3), Rogers, Rough, Finlan (2), Berger, Catalano, Dacres
Conversions: Warren (2), Catalano (2)

Lions v. Philly
The Leonas next played Philadelphia’s traveling squad, and it was a shorter version of the spirited match the Lions have come to expect when they play Philly. There was some contentiousness at the breakdowns, and the scrummages were evenly fought, with perhaps the slight advantage going to Philly. The Lions had the edge in the backs though, and both centers Jackie Finlan and Rosie Rough broke through for scores. Willingness to make difficult tackles and stick-to-it-ive-ness (in spite of some highly questionable rucking tactics by Philly, see left) ultimately led the Leonas to victory. Coach Mary commented that, “It was great to see the team gel against Philly and pull out an impressive win.”

Score: 29-7
Tries: Finlan, Rough (2), Collins, Warren
Conversions: Warren, Catalano

Lions v. Furies B
The last game of the day was the Lions against the Washington Furies B-side. Both teams were pretty tuckered out, but the Leonas held it together until the end of the day, and pulled out a confident win. The Furies had a mix of experienced older players and some new talent, and their flyhalf in particular had some strong runs through the center. Breakthroughs by Jackie Finlan helped her win Woman of the Weekend honors, and outside center Rosie Rough also legged out 2 tries. Second row Angie Catalano also deserves mention, not only for her try, run in after she caught a ball thrown long at the lineout, but also for her exemplary kicking of both conversions and penalties. The Leonas don’t often elect to kick for points, but it was great to have a player with the confidence and the ability to slot a quick 3-pointer.

Score: 39-5
Tries: Finlan (2), Rough (2), Catalano
Penalties: Catalano (2)
Conversions: Warren (3), Catalano

With 3 wins in group play, the Lions would advance to the semi-finals on Sunday morning. Meredith Harmon was nominated Silent Force for the weekend for her consistent (and feisty!) play at hooker, and Jackie Finlan was elected Woman of the Weekend, and got the honor of wearing the outfit that goes with it: leafy head-dress with lights, black and white-striped leg warmers and thong, and golden, sparkly jacket.

Ruggerfest’s theme was “Down and Dirty: Turning Thirty” and the Leonas spin on this was “Dirty Jobs.” At the social Saturday night, costumes ranged from scanty stripper-esque outfits to a road kill crew worker (complete with bloody squirrel and bucket for “street meat.”) One Leona was overheard saying that she was initially nervous to appear in public in her outfit, but then realized that everyone in the place had eyes only for Jackie (see photo left), rocking the WOM outfit plus a baby bump. (Ah, motherhood….the dirtiest job of all.)

Lions v. NOVA
Sunday morning the Lions played NOVA, who are also in Division 1 as of Fall 2010′s league season. Accumulated bumps and bruises from the games the day before (along with residual dirtiness from the drink-up), meant that the Lions were not at their sharpest for the match against Northern Virginia. The Piranhas probably slept in their own beds on Saturday night, too. In any case, their play in the morning was crisp and concise, and they seemed well-rested. Nova gained more ground and possession, and strong runs from the forwards put them 3 tries in the lead by the end of 50 minutes.

The Lions had a few nice periods of play when they had possession, but for the most part were on defense. Nova was adept at moving the ball around, and had their own patterns of play to which the Lions didn’t quickly adjust. Off of the breakdown, NOVA would move a few big forwards wide, creating space for an inside punch, and stretching (and weakening) the Lions’ defensive line. In the post-game analysis, Jess Houser, forwards coach for the weekend, emphasized the need for the Lions to adjust their defensive style as needed during the game, by observing and responding to the style of the opposition’s offense.

Score: 0-17

With a loss in the semi-final, Ruggerfest was over for the Lions, and the team trudged back to the vans for the ride back up to NYC. The long van rides to and from DC almost always result in some choice moments, but the favorite this year was when rookie Rebecca Mulder reminisced about visiting her parents’ alma mater and playing in the pep band with them: “My parents were the biggest nerds … in fact, Sharon, you were probably at RPI when I was visiting as a fourth grader.”

The tournament was a great opportunity for younger and older players to bond, and there was also a lot of pride to be taken in the Leonas’ play at the tournament:

WOM Jackie Finlan: “Over the four games, we saw some sick examples of how good the backs’ connection can be when we flooded with support in the open field. We were very dangerous and able to offload at great pace to keep the ball alive. We had continuity issues, but we’ll chalk that up to wear and tear.”

And Coach Mary: “I just really want to emphasize the hard work of the forwards who had to play every minute and did an outstanding job against much bigger opposition. Also, a big shout out to Svet for throwing her body in to the pack for the good of the team.”

Lions team: Taryn Goodman, Kelly Rogers, Meredith Harmon, Sharon Berger, Angie Catalano, Cerra Cardwell, Sari Warren, Jess Beck, Meg Collins, Dana Szakacs, Kim Dacres, Rebecca Mulder, Katy Nishimoto, Jackie Finlan, Rosie Rough, Alia Kate, Caitlyn Colman, Katie Stevens, Sarah “Svetty” Landry

Head Coach: Mary Holmes
Forwards’ Coach: Jess Houser

Apr 10: VL vs Hartford

New York City – The Leonas played Hartford this weekend at Randall’s Island. It was a challenging game, with Hartford’s larger pack dominating in the scrums and disrupting loose ball at the breakdowns. Coach Mary said: ” The Lions took advantage of the few opportunities presented and made the most of them; especially Kathleen with her score from a quick penalty tap.” Consistent tackling and intelligent use of those opportunities led the Lions to a 17-5 victory.

At the beginning of the game Hartford and the Leonas each struggled to establish their own pattern of play. Hartford’s defense around the breakdowns took away the chance to play multiple phases effectively. Coach Mary noted that, “their big forwards also tried muscling through the fringe defense repeatedly; outstanding tackling by the Lions’ forwards shut down most of these attempts with little to no gain.” So neither team was making much headway past the gain line in the forwards, fittingly, it was the Lions’ backs who broke through for the first score.

One phase off a set piece, the ball went out through the hands to OC Rosie Rough, who shimmied through the line, pinned the last defender, and popped the ball to Sarah “Svetty” Landry, who ran over for the score. Svet was also commended in the post-game wrap up by Mary for loudly and repeatedly calling for defensive support from her position at wing.

The improvement of the Lions defense was noticed by many of the players; flyhalf Kim “Kimbo” Dacres commented that, “we had nice post-D.” And the Lions held off Hartford from their try line a couple of different times, tackling and tying the ball up in-goal until Hartford made a mistake or the ball was turned over and cleared.

The second score of the half was Kathleen Ryan’s 50-yard run from a quick-tap penalty. Prop and Silent Force Taryn Goodman remarked that, “It was awesome when Kath took that penalty and ran it in herself-no one was expecting it.” Especially not the Hartford players, only one realized what was going on in time to chase, and by then Kath was past the point of catching.

The score right before halftime lead to a more confident start to the second half. Although, “we gave away a lot of possession, our fitness in the second half enabled us to shut down all attacks on the Hartford side,” noted Mary, “it showed we have a lot to work on but overall it was a positive effort by the team.”

Despite the good start by the Lions’, Hartford scored first in the second half. In a nice series of play they worked the ball up the field, alternating punches with runs in the backline, and finally put it over in the corner, the try wasn’t converted.

While still dangerous, the effectiveness of Hartford’s forwards was diffused in the second half. A number of changes to the Leonas line-up at the half allowed everyone to get some quality minutes, and SF Taryn and Woman of the Match Tricia Stanley led the pack in neutralizing the threat those big Connecticut ladies posed with strong tackling and improved scrummaging. WOM Trish, “Their scrums were strong, we did a better job of combating this in the second half by locking out.”

The final score of the game came from shifty OC Rosie Rough, she had a nice breaking run from about the 22m line, dotted down near the posts and slotted her own conversion, no problem.

Lions 17:
Landry (5) Ryan (5) Rough (7)

1 Kelly Rogers 2 Sari Warren 3 Taryn Goodman 4 Sharon Berger 5 Angie Catalano 6 Emma Fisher 7 Tricia Stanley 8 Meg Collins 9 Becca Asser 10 Kim Dacres 11 Maggie McNicholas 12 Jackie Finlan 13 Rosie Rough 14 Sarah Landry 15 Kath Ryan