Match stats
Vs. Belmont ShoreHalftime score: 10-0
Fulltime score: 40-33
Vs. Atlanta
Halftime score: 21-5
Fulltime score: 29-5
Glendale's Division I women's team continued their march to a national championship over the weekend. The Raptors went 2-0 at the elite eight Division I playoffs, held in Austin, Texas, with wins over Belmont Shore and Atlanta. The victories mark the first time the Glendale women have made it to the final round of competitive play.
Saturday: Glendale vs. Belmont Shore
On Saturday the Raptors matched up against Long Beach, Calif.-based Belmont Shore. Glendale struck first with a penalty kick from fly half Hannah Stolba just before the three-minute mark. Stolba converted her own try just four minutes later. The Landsharks were tenacious at the tackle contest, but were unable to clear the ball past the Glendale line. Glendale remained camped out near the 22-meter line for much of the first half. Glendale led 10-0 at the half.
After a physical first 10 minutes of the second half, Stolba returned to the try zone and was successful at the conversion. The Belmont line quickly deteriorated as tries were scored by Andrea Prusinski, Sarah Edwards, Tyra McGrady (2) and Jillion Potter, all within 15 minutes of each other. The Glendale defense was virtually impenetrable at the fringe and tireless in defending their half of the field. The Raptors put up an impressive 44 unanswered points — the score at the end of regulation was 44-0.
Sunday: Glendale vs. Atlanta
On Sunday, Glendale took on the Atlanta Harlequins, who are currently ranked number one in the CR3 league. The Harlequins are no strangers to the final four and championship rounds of the DI tournament — last year they fell to the San Diego Surfers at the final, leaving them ranked second in the nation.
The two teams clashed, both testing the strengths of each other's back lines, for nearly 10 minutes before Bethany Wilson was able to scrape through the defensive line into open space. It would be another 20 minutes before Glendale was again able to break the line, this time with a try and conversion by Stolba. The Harlequins continued to hammer away at the Glendale defense, but were stopped short several times by the Raptors powerful counter-rucking.
Second row Taryn Brennan found the try zone corner in the 37th minute after a driving run by Jillion Potter and the Glendale offense. Atlanta would not give up and found the try zone two minutes into stoppage time. The score at the half was Glendale 21, Atlanta 5.
The second half continued to be a defensive battle royal, with the majority of the action taking place near the 50 meter line. Both teams continued to dish out the quick and physical pace, each actively threatening their opponents' fringe, hoping for an error. Finally, the Raptors were able to force Atlanta into making such an error. The result was another try and conversion by Stolba. The final try of the match was scored by Heidi Bauer at the 76th minute.
Atlanta refused to give up and spent the last four minutes of the match dangerously close to their try zone. The final score, after a great match, was 29-5.
What's next
The DI women will travel to Virginia Beach, Va. to face off against CR2 league rivals Chicago North Shore for the national title. Chicago also went undefeated on the weekend with victories over ORSU and NOVA. The final will be held on Sunday, Nov. 13, during the 2011 Emirates Airline USA Rugby Championships. The weekend is the culmination of the women’s fall competitive season and will also feature the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and Division II championships.
Should Glendale win, it will be the first time in USA Rugby history that both men's and women's teams from the same club have won national championships in the same year. The DI men won the national championship earlier this year.
Regardless of a victory in Virginia Beach, the Glendale and Chicago women have the option to challenge one of the bottom two finishers from the WPL for a chance to move up into the premier league. Since the WPL's inception, no challenges have been accepted, and therefore, no challenge matches have been played. A WPL team that rejects a challenge match is automatically demoted to Division I, while the challenging team is promoted into the Premier League.
