The 2010 Fall Season was a season of growth and change for the Raptors.  The team experienced a good amount of turnover, with older players retiring and new athletes stepping up from the college ranks to fill their shoes.  Several veteran players moved into the Denver area and pulled on a Glendale jersey, and the team welcomed a new head coach.

"Our mission for this season was to expand our vision of the game, explore some different patterns of play, and improve the details of our physical game.  The team's always been known for its speed and agility, but to continue to the top of Division 1 and beyond we've got to broaden our skills and open ourselves up to a bigger, more complete rugby experience."

The team performed well early in the season, besting local rival Black Ice and visitors Chicago women through superior athleticism.  Just a week later, Black Ice took their revenge, toppling Glendale in a friendly.  "That loss, though emotionally very difficult for the players to swallow, may have been the best thing for us.  We can't keep doing the same thing every week without expecting our rivals to catch on.  It was good for them, and it was a wakeup call for us."

Since the West Women's league did not have a formal competition this year, the Raptors needed to see quality opponents on the road.  The women traveled to Philadelphia, where they went 3-1 at the annual Pumpkinfest tournament, to prepare for the Western Women's Championships, and to Portland, OR,  to play ORSU, Portland's Women's Premier League Team to prepare for the later CR2 competition.

We identified two peaks for this season - our first to occur at Western Championships, and the second at the first round of nationals.  They players worked hard, sacrificed, and peaked at exactly the right moments.

At the Western Championships, the Raptors faced St. Louis in the semi-final round.  St. Louis did not provide much of a contest, as Glendale ran in 10 unanswered tries. Across the pitch, Austin and Black Ice fought a tough match; Austin coming out on top to set up a repeat of last year's west final.  The Sunday match between Austin and Glendale was very physical, and teams worked hard to effectively utilize their possession. Austin played a slower, more physical game, while Glendale worked hard to get and keep the ball moving.  In the end, Glendale's superior fitness and open field play prevailed, as they put in three unanswered tries in the final six minutes of the match to claim the Western Women's Championship title.

The second peak targeted during the season was the National Round of 12.  Prior to the round of 12, Glendale played in a seeding tournament in Chicago, IL, with Chicago North Shore, Chicago Women, and Austin.

Glendale met Chicago Women in their first match of the seeding weekend, perhaps a little overconfident from our win at home earlier in the season.  After 30 minutes in Chicago's red zone, star fullback, Claire Gregorich, suffered a season ending knee injury, and the team struggled to regroup. Chicago wound up on top, setting up yet another Austin/Glendale match. While Glendale and Austin played for CR2's #3 seed, Chicago and Chicago North Shore competed for #1.  Glendale topped Austin for the second time, and traveled to the National Round of 12 as the region's #3 seed.

The Round of 12 for 2010 was held in Austin, TX, so the Raptors boarded their 4th plane of the season to face off against Providence Women, from Rhode Island.  The tenacious team was making their first appearance at Nationals, and while the game was very competitive, the easterners couldn't compete with Glendale's experience, open field skills, and enhanced physicality.   Glendale women advanced to the round of 8, but not without a cost - center Jenna Anderson suffered a severe knee injury, followed shortly afterwards by flanker Nicole Delue. The following day we were to face the defending National Champions, the San Diego Surfers, and it would truly be a test of our depth and commitment.

"The women put in a breathtaking performance.  San Diego is not known as a small team, several of their players are quiet large.  We were definitely outmatched in that area, but you wouldn't have known on game day.  Each of the players was 10 feet tall.  San Diego got the best of us, 3 tries to none.  We made a handful of mistakes, and that's when they got us.  That's why they went on to win a second consecutive National Championships.   No one likes to lose, but there's most definitely a shiny silver lining.  Every single player on team believes now that we can be successful at the National level, and everyone is going into the off season with a renewed focus on training.  Next year will be very exciting!"

The Raptors closed out their season with a friendly scrimmage against the ERRFU U23s.  The U23s are the near future of our rugby programs, so we have a responsibility to prepare them for their upcoming challenges to the best of our ability.

Glendale's Raptors activities this season weren't just limited to the pitch.  The women did community service events at the Girls Athletic Leadership School, at Children’s Hospital and at various elementary and middles schools. With active participation as coaches in both the U19 Girls program and the after school youth program, we aren't just developing athletes, we're developing the next generation of leaders.