Photo: Amber Butler •
Emerald City was the favorite to win the DII Pacific Northwest last year, and then Bend took the title and continued into the post-season. That experience lent many lessons, some humility, and plenty of motivation to extend beyond this year’s conference play.
“It’s not about making excuses; we didn’t play well,” Emerald City coach John Wooler reflected on last year’s league championship loss to Bend. The coach cited injuries, the shock of trailing early in the match, and an exorbitant 22 penalties as influential factors in the outcome. But ultimately, “the first half was sloppy, we missed tackles … and then we ran out of time.”
But when the Washington team returned to the pitch for the 2016-17 season, enthusiasm followed. With the core team still in place and solid numbers propelling training, the players went back to work for a 4-0 fall.
Particularly satisfying was the 28-17 win over the Lady Roughriders, a valuable match that exposed the depth to pressure. While forwards captain Becky Williams and backs captain Jenna Middleton directed the team, Wooler noted players like locks Megan Delany and Deycha Robinson, prop Kailyn Schmidt, wing Jill Schneeman and new flyhalf Rachel Manning who upped their contributions in the fall.
“Consistency across the whole team is better,” Wooler said. “The good players are still good, and there is a higher standard across the board.”
The team kept that momentum through the winter break, meeting Sundays and Wednesdays for skills sessions, and when outdoor practices resume, the Mudhens will continue to scrimmage the Seattle Quake men once per week to push the limits of their pace and athleticism.
While Wooler is a fanatic for the fundamental skills, he’s also working on the team’s mental fortitude. For example, the coach is emphasizing no points-against as much as points scored. If the team is leading by 50 points, then there’s still no room for a last-minute try against due to lapse in focus. Wooler also admitted that the post-season situation has affected the attitude of the team.
“The positivity’s good, but they also realize the opportunity we have,” Wooler said. “The way we were looking at it – even if we had beaten Bend [in the Pacific Northwest championship last year], we would have faced Life West [in the Pacific North championship] – a daunting task. Now that they’re not in the [DII] playoffs, there’s a clear road ahead. There’s greater potential for us doing well at playoffs.”
The NorCal league, previously a DII competition, is now a hybrid D/II league in that the champion will advance to the DI post-season while the runner-up moves to the DII post-season.* Reigning DII national champion Life West is the heavy favorite to repeat as NorCal titleholder and therefore continue onto the DI post-season. So if Emerald City were to win the Pacific Northwest, then it would face a different NorCal team in the Pacific North championship this year.
(*A previous version of this article erroneously stated that NorCal was Division II, and that Life West was contesting a full schedule but automatically aligning with the DI post-season.)
Emerald City is excited about the possibilities of this season, but is respecting all of the steps that would precede a final’s trip to Glendale in June – a lesson learned last year.
For a current look at the DII Pacific Northwest league, click here. Stats for DII NorCal will be kept here, but until the CMS is updated, click here for last weekend’s results.