Match stats
Halftime score: 0-6
Fulltime score: 5-13
Glendale's number eight, Jillion Potter, earns MVP award
The Glendale Raptors Division I women finished second in the nation after a bittersweet loss to CR2 league rivals, Chicago North Shore. 2011 marks the first year that the Glendale women have advanced to the final round of the Emirates Airlines USA Rugby Championships.
Earlier in the season, Glendale had defeated North Shore but there was no question that the team they had beat in September and the team they were facing in the finals were completely different. Chicago was poised, focused and ready to use their size to disrupt the Raptors' mode of play. After 11 minutes Chicago struck first, scoring a penalty kick awarded for Glendale not releasing in the ruck.
While the Raptors came within the 22-meter line several times, their usually electric offence was being shut down by a hungry Chicago defense. North Shore scored off of another penalty at the 31st minute. The score at the half was Glendale 0, Chicago 6.
The second half continued on with all of the intensity of the first. Glendale continued to attack but the Chicago defense was never on their heels. Chicago broke the line and tried at the 63rd minute but failed to convert. The Raptors marched back down the field at a steady pace. North Shore was penalized at the breakdown, and Taryn Brennan was able to score in the corner.
With 10 minutes left in the match, the Raptors continued to fight tirelessly but their efforts were not enough. The score at the end of regulation was Glendale 5, North Shore 13.
For Glendale, one of the brightest spots of the match came at the medal ceremony, when eight-man Jillion Potter received the MVP trophy. Unlike Man of the Match, which picks the top players from each team, the MVP trophy is awarded to only one player.
"Chicago was extremely disruptive and did not allow us to play our game plan," Head Coach Lisa Rosen said. "At times we lost our composure and they bested us. We need to keep in mind that our most important match this season is still to come."
In spite of a long and travel-heavy season, the Glendale women still have one more match to play. On Dec. 4, the Raptors will play a challenge match against the Minnesota Valkyries. The Valkyries finished last in the Women's Premier League this season, leaving them open for demotion from the WPL if Glendale wins. A Raptor win at the challenge match means that the Glendale DI team will be elevated into the Premier League.
"As a team we need to move past last weekend, come together as we have all season and focus on playing our game at the challenge match," Team Captain Sarah Wilson said. "The 'Valks' will test us in ways we have not been tested so far this year and we need to elevate our game if we're going to win."
USA Rugby regulations mandate that the challenge match be played at a neutral location, agreed upon by both teams competing in the match. A couple of teams put in bids to host the match, and both teams have agreed to meet up in Austin, Texas, at the Austin Valkyries' pitch, Burr Field. The challenge match will be the first ever played since the inception of the WLP in 2009.
