ORSU’s Luft put in one of several key performances this weekend. •
Glendale and ORSU triumphed in their Women’s Premier League (WPL) openers Saturday, defeating San Diego 28-26 and Berkeley 34-12, respectively. The victors banked five points apiece in the standings, while the Surfers also secured two bonus points in the loss.
“It was a heavyweight bout for sure,” Glendale captain Sarah Chobot said of Saturday’s win over San Diego. “It’s what you get when you play in the west [pool]. We don’t see those monster blowouts.”
Glendale debuted some WPL newcomers and saw veterans, like Jenny Lui at flyhalf, in different positions. The Surfers looked different as well, notably in the forwards, and the result was a well matched duel. In the first half, the teams exchanged tries through their wings and outside centers, with Wisconsin transfer Justine Wypych and Andrea Prusinski accounting for the Raptors’ points, and Danielle Miano and Kyla Roth dotting down for the Surfers. Fullback Tia Blythe added a conversion for San Diego, which took a 12-10 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, however, San Diego pushed the scoreboard out to 26-13. Blythe converted tries from lock Melissa Quiroz and No. 8 Matelina Maluia, while Glendale fullback Mary-Ann Gittings added a penalty kick.
“The Surfers definitely created a lot of their opportunities. They turned us over and used it to their advantage,” Chobot said. “The forwards were monstrous attacking on the fringe. It took two, three, four of us to take them down.”
The Eagle prop singled out Quiroz, lock Molly Kinsella and front row Sam Pankey as influential forwards. Flyhalf Hunter Griendling and center Deven Owsiany’s strike runs also impressed the Glendale captain.
Glendale focused on tidying up its game. “Fifty-fifty ball is over. Take it to ground,” Chobot recounted one of the adjustments, and the point differential began to narrow. Reserve Colleen Gribbs scored with about 20 minutes left (26-18), and then Glendale pulled to within three when Wypych scored her second try from the wing.
“We kept our composure as a team,” Chobot said of the rally. “No one was losing it. When teams get down, players can put more on their own back. We did the opposite; we came together as a team.”
With two minutes remaining, Eagle flanker Joanna Kitlinski scooped up an errant pass and touched down the go-ahead points, 28-26, and then held on for the win.
“There were a lot of question marks,” Chobot reflected on the opener. “You never know what you’re going to get. You’re dealt a new hand every year and you play with it. I’m pretty excited, mostly for the composure we showed when being down. It wasn’t perfect – we have a ton of things to work on – but when you can start with a win in this league, it’s a good thing.”
In Portland, Berkeley took the first lead of the game when flyhalf Lauren Rhode grubbered through and wing Ardia Kelker ran on for the try. Rhode, Kelker and fullback Bulou Mataitoga remained offensive threats throughout the match.
“They were able to put a lot of pressure on our new-look front three off of set pieces and move the ball quickly to space during phase play,” ORSU player-coach Beckett Royce noted. “Berkeley maintained a lot of possession, particularly in the second half, but the resilience of our defense frustrated them into errors. Offensively we did well maintaining our own possession and showed some great creativity and interplay between forwards and backs in the loose.”
ORSU took the lead after tries from Hannah Summers and Te Awhina Ho Chee, and then hooker Paris Hart gave her side a 15-5 halftime edge with a third score. Royce scored at minute 55, followed by outside center Brett Zimmerman and Kaitlin Sigado. Fullback Molly Luft added two conversions for the 34-5 win.
“Rachel Johnson had a strong performance with a phenomenal work rate as always,” Royce praised the flanker. “Like all the best 7s, she does the work of two or three players on the pitch. It’s the kind of work that goes unnoticed by the less learned of the game but it’s the kind of work that is essential to the success of any team: ball security, link play, hard yards and aggressive defense. ORSU has 16 players when Rachel Johnson is on the field.”
Royce tipped her hat to Luft, who returned for her second season at fullback. She put in a key defensive performance and made well time inserts on attack. The player-coach also acknowledged Kaitlin Sigado, who made her first start at flyhalf and handled herself well in the face of an aggressive Berkeley defense.
Next week, only one Blue Conference team will remain undefeated, as Glendale travels to ORSU, and Berkeley hosts San Diego.