Pacific South Women’s Division II: Las Vegas Slots vs. Pasadena Rugby:
One plays three this weekend, in the Pacific South Women’s Division II title game. The Las Vegas Slots enter their match with Pasadena Rugby as the number one seed in the playoffs, while Pasadena enters as the third. Despite coming in at number three, Pasadena has proven their ability to play above their seed- as was the case last time out against number two seed, Old Pueblo Lightning.
The Slots, after a rocky start to the season, have recovered nicely to go on a five game streak where they have not lost a game. That streak played a major role in their ability to reach the top of the regular season standings and the playoffs’ number one seed. Pasadena, on the other hand, has been suffering from lack of consistency. Until their last two games, they had not been able to string two wins together. However, they have proven themselves to be a strong side, albeit, on the wrong side of some tight score lines. One of the things that makes them so competitive, according to team president Georgia Ringelberg has been their conditioning.
“We work a lot on fitness throughout the season. In previous seasons we’ve worked on fitness in the preseason and then moved onto skill work. This year we’ve really concentrated on working on our fitness throughout the whole season,” said Ringelberg.
Vegas has met Pasadena twice already this season. On the first occasion it was a 14-14 draw. On the second occasion Vegas pulled ahead by 11 points. Part of the reason for the drop off in the second game, was a lost sense of momentum. In the opinion of Ringelberg, “Coming of the win in Tucson I feel like we’re more prepared and more amped for this game against Vegas.”
Both squads have a depth of talent. For the Slots their star players include Vaimalo Manuo, Jeruscha Ako and Haylee Holsclaw. The three of them have scored a combined 18 tries on the season. Manuo has scored eight and Ako and Holsclaw have each touched down five times. They will be the center of Pasadena’s defensive efforts.
Pasadena will be looking to a couple of players to pull them through, Ringelberg explained, “Our captain Erika Matczenko is a true leader on and off the field. She’s usually our 8 and she’s all over the place with tackles, rucks and scores. She’s always in the mix and definitely makes an impact.” Ringelberg also brought up the fact both, Christina Siau and Sonya Livingston, in the backs, have been a massive impact. Unfortunately, they will be without Siau for the rest of the season, as she has moved.
Looking at the two squads, they seem to be rather contrasting. Pasadena is a small team with plenty of speed, who look to play to the full width of the field. On the other hand Vegas appears to a team that revels the opportunity to play a physical match and take the challenge directly to their opponents. To counteract the physical nature of Vegas, Pasadena has been focusing on their work around the breakdown. Rengelberg stating, “We’ve really been working on keeping our rucks strong. We are not a big team in terms of size and weight, so we’re trying to work together and make sure have strong fundamentals and sound technique so we can be a little stronger than what our size would allow.”
This will be a tight game and it will likely be decided by a few key moments here and there, but the important key to the match will be each team’s ability to stick with what is comfortable. If one team can disrupt the other’s patterns and force them into uncomfortable situations, look for that to be the turning point in the game.
Pacific South Women’s Division I: Belmont Shore Rugby vs. Santa Monica Dolphins:
The Championship game for Women’s Pacific South Division I play will see, two teams who have gone back and forth all year line up against each other, one last time. The two game series through the regular season saw Santa Monica win 2-0. However, while the sweep looks dominant, the wins themselves weren’t. The average margin of victory, in their two regular season, was two points. In both encounters it took a try in the final 78th and 80th minutes, respectively, of the game to secure the victory. The last two games have been highlighted by the performances of Priscilla Gardner for Belmont Shore and Nina Poloukhine for Santa Monica. Both of these players will once again be influential to the outcome of the game. The key to it, however, will be Belmont Shore’s ability to close out games. They have no issues carrying a lead late into the match, but they struggle to keep it. If they can figure out what has let them down in the last two installments, the championship will be theirs.
Atlantic North Women’s Division II Playoffs: Providence Rugby vs. Brooklyn Rugby:
The undefeated Providence Rugby welcomes into town the surprising Brooklyn Rugby. Providence finished second in the regular season of New England Women’s Division II competition with a record of 6-0-2, Brooklyn finished third in the New York pool of the Empire Division II competition. Despite being one of the lower seeds in the playoffs, Brooklyn has come into their own during the playoffs, proving they are a legitimate threat to the National Championship. The biggest proof of their improvement was their defeat of the Village Lions. During the Regular season they lost two games to the Lions by an average margin of 15 points. However, in the first round of the playoffs it was a 12-point decision in their favor. This weekend, they’ll come up against a challenging Providence side who has scored an average of 37 points per game and only let in 56 points for the entirety of their regular season. They have not played a game since November, so their form may be a bit cold, which could be a major boost to Brooklyn Rugby and their chances. Regardless of form, it will be a brilliant showcase between two teams that, at the start of their respective playoff series, may not have been expected to be viewed as legitimate contender. This weekend, both teams will look forward to continue proving the skeptics wrong.
Atlantic North Women’s Division II Playoffs: Morris Pride vs. Worcester Shamrocks:
The top seed from the Empire Geographic Union will meet the second seed from New England in the second semifinal in the Atlantic North Women’s Division II playoffs. Between the two teams there is a total of one loss on the season. That one loss belongs to the Pride and it was suffered in the first round of the season. Since then they have rattled off seven straight wins, by an average of 30 points. One of the main drivers behind this success has been the play of capped Eagle, Tess Feury. In the seven games Feury has appeared for Morris, she has been responsible for 142 points, including an incredible 20 tries. Any time a player is averaging nearly a hat trick a game, it’s clear they are a special talent. Worcester has been impressive also, scoring nearly 400 points in only eight games and, perhaps, more impressively they have let in only 74. Glynn Casey has been their stand out scoring 18 tries. It will be a great duel between two teams that love to score, but may not get too many opportunities to do so.
Pacific South Men’s Division III: Kern County vs. Belmont Shore D3
The best two men’s teams in the Pacific South’s Division III play will come up against each other this weekend, with the undefeated Kern County taking on the one loss Belmont Shore D3 squad. For the neutral this promises to be an exciting game to watch, as both team have demonstrated a propensity to score at will. Kern County has averaged just over 45 points a game this season which is still 5 points less than Belmont Shore. These two have not met all year, but they have played some shared opponents. Belmont Shore’s only loss of the year was to San Luis Obispo, 30-7. Kern County was able to be San Luis Obispo when they met, 25-5. While this is could be used as speculative evidence to say Kern County will be favored, Belmont Shore avenged their loss in the semifinal and will be filled with confidence heading into the encounter. It will be a tight match, but there won’t be a lack of scoring.
Mid-Atlantic Men’s Division III: Northeast Philadelphia Irish vs. Wilkes Barre Scranton Breakers:
This year’s Men’s Division III EPRU championship, will see the Northeast Philadelphia Irish take on the Wilkes Barre Scranton Breakers. The Irish came through to the championship undefeated, while the Breakers are coming in at 9-1. These two have not met, but they are two very well matched teams. The Irish have been one of the most dominant teams in the country this year. In their regular season games they outscored their opponents 434-23. The playoffs haven’t been much different, winning their quarterfinal 102-0 and semifinal 65-5. Robert Rea is the catalyst behind their massive successes this season. In only nine games he has scored 175 points. The fullback, averaging just shy of 19 points a game, will be the focal points of the Breakers defensive efforts this weekend. The Breakers have also been one of the best teams in the country, but have not been nearly as dominant. Their star player has been Michael Appleman, their outside center, who has scored 16 tries in 10 games. With both players controlling the middle of the field offensively, look for much of the game to be spent trying to get the ball between the five meter and 15 meter markings on each side of the field. The Irish will likely be favored heading into the contest, but the breakers have shown throughout the season their proclivity to pull through in tight contests.
