Energized by a home crowd for the first time, the AU women's rugby team dominated Catholic University in every aspect Saturday afternoon, winning 65-0 on the Massachusetts Avenue field.
AU out-ran the opposition from the opening whistle, keeping play on Catholic's end throughout the affair by playing solid defense.
While the win was impressive, the opportunity to hold a home game for the first time in club history was the real achievement for the growing squad.
In past years, the team has had no home field. But this year, the opening of the intramural turf field left the Massachusetts Ave. field open for club sports to use, something team members said couldn't have happened too son.
"It's about time the university recognized and encouraged the sport," said Megan Dewey-Wood, a junior. "Rugby is growing in popularity and this shows that."
A modest crowd of about 75 people speckled the side lines, a respectable figure considering the AU men's soccer team was playing for the Patriot League regular season title at the same time. While most in the crowd may have not known the difference between a line out and a scrum, it mattered little to those on the field.
"Our friends and family can actually come to see us play," said Kayly Ober, a sophomore. "I'm glad that the university showed us a little bit of love."
Added head coach Deanna Church: "Not having to travel is a big advantage. We don't have to focus on getting a van and driving to the game. We can just focus on rugby."
It's been a struggle to get to this point. Founded in 1996, the first women's rugby team that AU fielded only had one player with prior experience. Even two years ago, the Eagles struggled to field a competitive team.
"My freshman year, we had just enough to play," said Amy Carroll, a junior. "If one girl got sick, none of us could play. We also really didn't know how to play well."
Now, AU has over 40 players, more than enough for an A and B team. While most recruiting still happens through word of mouth, they have intensified their efforts to recruit athletic girls who may not have any prior experience.
"I just kept hearing from everyone how much fun being on the team was," said Anne 'Pink' Paschke, a rookie sophomore. "Finally I just decided to join, and it has been such a great experience."
With many players still relative novices, the focus is fundamentals. During the last practice before Saturday's game, the team started out by running drills that focus on basic skills such as passing and on-field communication.
"It's a young team, so we focus on the basics," Church said. "They're enthusiastic to learn the game."
The bolstering of the coaching staff has been key to AU's growth, said AU captain and senior Maddy Gitomer. Church is a fresh face on that staff, having played for a local rugby team up until last season.
"We have four really dedicated coaches," Gitomer said. "They gave the team a new sense of dedication. We're just a more competitive team now."
Veteran leadership has also helped the new recruits learn the game. The young players point to co-captains Gitomer and Jess Heads, a junior, as important figures.
"The captains are like our parents," said Paschke, who had never played rugby before joining the team. "They help us to learn during practice and games, but look out for us all the time. Jess Heads gave all the rookies her cell phone number and told us to call her if we needed anything."
While inexperience, the team isn't at a loss for chemistry. Players eat together after every practice, and have formed close friendships. Friday, the rookies spent the night selling doughnuts as a fundraiser and making signs in support of the team.
"We get along off the pitch, which makes things easier on the pitch," Gitomer said. "Communication is so important in rugby, and we're able to communicate so well."
Having grown exponentially in just a few years, there remains a lot the Eagles hope to accomplish. While AU has a losing record (5-6), they've played a vicious schedule that included games against three of the top four teams in the nation. They also dropped their two divisional games against Penn State and Navy, understandable when you realize both top-five programs nationally.
"While our record may not show it, our performance has improved tremendously," Gitomer said. "The Navy coach herself told us that we looked better than we ever have."
The team hopes Saturday's home game will help get more support from the university. Practices are still on a patch of grass about two blocks from the AU Metro, because of a lack of campus space. And, while the hope is that Saturday will begin a trend, it was still the only home game in program history.
"I wish that we could play here every weekend," said Kellie Cavalier, a junior. "Hopefully we'll be able to play at home at least once a semester"
