The Pioneers women’s rugby team has started their season and hold a 2-2 record. They started off the season 0-2. The first loss came from playing against the three-time champions Harvard University, with the Pioneers falling 26-24. The second loss was against Army University in a close contest with the score ending 24-17.
Women’s Rugby getting physical in game against Harvard University.
| Instagram, @sacredheartwrugby |
“They were two emotional losses, and we all kind of took it pretty deeply because we were all kind of stuck,” said sophomore Lily Perez. “We didn’t know what we were doing wrong, and it kind of just boiled down to connecting together, as well as connecting our backs and forwards.”
These losses created urgency and gave the players a chance to refocus their efforts.
“After our loss against Army and Harvard, it lit a fire under our team to pick it up,” said senior captain Olivia Woods.
Reed’s confidence didn’t waver in the players despite the less than optimal start.
“This is probably the most talented team I’ve ever had so I’m excited to watch that blossom in the upcoming games,” said head coach Michelle Reed. “I’m excited to see how the team connects and how we play as a unit.”
The team was then able to secure two wins in their most recent games. Beating Queens University of Charlotte 69-7 and Davenport University 38-0. These two wins featured two hat tricks, one by Woods vs. Queens and the other by Perez vs. Davenport.
“I think a lot of the time tries are results of what others do on the field, so it doesn’t really come down to just us,” said Woods. “It comes down to who was surrounding us on the field and
who did the dirty work to allow us to get into the try zone.”
“Everyone made themself a threat in the game, and I think that was the biggest thing for
us,” said Perez.
Success can be credited towards the teams connected.
“Over the last few weeks, we have built a connection between our forward pack and our backs that has allowed us to be successful,” said Woods. “It really showed up vs. Davenport and
the game against Queens.”
Woods helps facilitate this connection through her actions as a captain.
“Olivia is a leader,” said Reed. “She is always driving her teammates, constantly trying to make them better not for her own glory but because she knows how good they can be and their potential.”
The Pioneers recently played a match against American International College on Sunday, Oct. 18. Both teams went back and forth in the contest, with each scoring a lot of points in the match. The result of the game was a narrow loss with a final score of 32-33. The Pioneers look to bounce back in their next match against Dartmouth College on Oct. 24 at 2 p.m.
Athletic Communications contributed to this article.
