Santa Clara’s Mariela Murillo. Below, Paula Back and Michelle Coleman. /// Photos: Jocelyn Hung •
As candidates for the Player of the Week started lining up, Santa Clara wasn’t necessarily in the running. The small private school did spend Saturday enjoying a redemptive win against UC Santa Cruz, and that victory bettered its standing in the DII West Coast Cup competition. But as Santa Clara coach Kyle Domingue spoke to the guts of his squad, it became clear that the team’s leadership deserved more than a single accolade.
That said, Santa Clara president Paula Back and vice president Mariela Murillo – the forwards captains – and backs captain Michelle Coleman are the Players of the Week. Their focus and ambition have propelled a winning season, and it’s incredible what the team has accomplished this year.
The West Coast conference reformatted this year and, for the first time, placed league games in the fall. That was a problem for Santa Clara. In its 20 years on campus, the team has always been lean on numbers, and the roster was further affected by several starters studying abroad in the fall. Santa Clara had three league games in November and December, and those results would determine placement into the Cup or Plate competitions in the second half of the season.
“At the beginning of the [school] year, our president and VP went to the club sports meeting … where you have to turn in plans to the school about how you’ll fund the upcoming year,” Domingue said. “They talked about the national travel fund. They pointed to that, ‘This is going to be us this year.’”
Back and Murillo weren’t intimidated. Recruitment brought in four rookies, and so the rest of the team had 2-3 years playing together. So while depth was certainly an issue, team chemistry was not.
“There’s a comfortability, but they also want to win now,” Domingue referenced the 1-4-1 spring 2016 season. “They’ve been through the tough times and want to have success no matter what. There were times when I asked if they wanted to try to reschedule a game [due to numbers], and it was, ‘No. We want to play with what we have.’”
The team had 13 players for the season-opener against CSU Monterey Bay and ended the game with 12 standing … and a 44-36 victory. Two weeks later against the University of San Francisco, Santa Clara started with 12 players and ended with 11 … and a 53-20 win. It wasn’t until Dec. 3 that the NorCal side could field 15 players, but that match against UC Santa Cruz ended in a 45-20 loss.
“The girls got comfortable, lost their sense of urgency,” Domingue said of the season’s only loss. “Santa Cruz came out more aggressive and wanted it more. Plus it was our third game – their first – and we already knew that we were in position [to play in the Cup competition.]”
Both Santa Clara and UC Santa Cruz advanced out of their pool and joined UN Reno and Fresno State in the Cup competition. The New Year saw the return of those important study abroad players, and Santa Clara was supposed to be in a more comfortable spot with numbers. But once again, Saturday’s game against UC Santa Cruz started 13 players, a quick injury dropped the able to 12 … and Santa Clara won 32-24.
“This game, we scored the first try in the opening minutes,” Domingue lauded the versatile freshman standout, Carley Fowler, and her fifth try of the season. “We beat them in every phase. The game was played in their half for the most part, and we held onto possession for about 75% of the match. It was the best game I’ve seen them play.”
But how? At times, Santa Clara has not only held off teams with 12 players on the field, but has scored.
“Everyone just understands that we’re already down, and so they get super focused on the goal at hand and stay in that moment,” the coach explained. “‘We need to play just about perfect.’ They do their work in the ruck, maintain possession, and get the ball from the forwards to the backs.
“It’s their mentality,” Domingue added. “They’re not scared to be down numbers. They’ve seen the success they can have if they play their game and don’t lose focus. And we have leaders who make sure we stay focused.”
Santa Clara does have a tactical plan that relies on players knowing where everyone is at all times, and that type of organization is derived from the captains. Domingue describes three-year veteran Back as the motherly figure on the team, keeping everyone in check. The flanker is the jumper, who holds down the lineout and makes sure the forwards are contesting defensively.
Prop Murillo is a stud, according to coach. She’s the vocal scrum leader, who emphasizes good form and aggressively winning the point of contact. They’re the type of players who always want the ball and want success.
Backs captain Coleman is the only member who arrived to Santa Clara with prior rugby experience. The Pleasanton Cavaliers alumna has played everywhere in the back line all three years, and this year has settled into outside center.
“We want to get her the ball and running onto it,” Domingue said. “In four games, she’s scored 10 tries. She’s a big part of why we’re able to be successful. She reads the field, holds people accountable, and makes sure the backline is matching up defensively.”
As if the entire season hasn’t already been a massive test, the next match (Feb. 11) will be big. Santa Clara is to host UN Reno, the conference’s runner-up to Humboldt, but also has its full lineup available for the first time all season. The team has shown that it can overcome ridiculous obstacles, thanks in big part to stalwart leadership, and a win this weekend will send Santa Clara to the Cup final. Domingue indicated that the team doesn’t look too far in the future, but it’s clear where the leadership is directing the team.