Fullerton’s Corina Curiel scores against Lightning. /// Photo: Paul Rudman (view more) •The first two weeks of the DII Pacific South produced some brow-raisers, and there’s good reason to expect more of the same across the eight-team field. In week one, O.P. Lightning’s big win over reigning champion Ventura drew attention. In week two, it was Fullerton’s 15-5 win over the visiting Arizona squad that highlighted the action.
RELATED: Week 1: Tucson Beats Ventura /// DII Pacific South standings /// Results: Feb. 3-5
Fullerton was a contender last year, in fact, the Wolfpack lost a close Pacific South semifinal to the Lightning. A core of veterans wanted to improve upon that finish this year, but there were other issues to attend to before that could happen. The team lost its head coach, and despite an extensive search, Denise Manacop and Casey Watkins stepped in as player-coaches.
“Our goal is to give the team the best,” Manacop said. “No one knows the future. If a coach comes around, and they fit the needs of the team, and are able to work with the dynamics of this team, then we’ll consider it. … We want to make sure that everything is aligned. We’re so passionate about the sport and our team, and want what’s best for them, so we’re happy to put in work.”
That work also included a big recruitment push, as a good chunk of last year’s players had moved on. Manacop and Watkins estimated that 60% of players today are rookies. Fullerton spent the fall getting the newcomers up to speed, getting fit, and calibrating with each other. The first game of the season occurred Jan. 28 against San Luis Obispo and ended in a 22-22 tie.
“It was the first game of the season, and we were coming back from a month of not playing rugby and not as rugby fit as we’d like to be,” Watkins said. “We played a good team and we might have underestimated them a bit – taking it easy in the first half instead of being aggressive at every tackle.”
The silver lining was that the team learned a valuable lesson early in the season, that mental preparedness and sustained pressure are important parts of the game.
“A lot of us were a little underwhelmed how we played against [San Luis Obispo] and thought we could do a lot better,” Watkins spoke to the build-up to the Lightning. “We were hungry and wanted to see the potential of our team and do what we do in practice.”
On Saturday, the team’s communication was much better, and that greatly aided the process of analyzing shortcomings and implementing fixes. Forward captain Corina Curiel (pictured above) was especially influential and scored the game’s first try. In addition to playing her typically aggressive game, she’s been instrumental in educating the rookies.
“Katrina Pahulu is an example of all the rookies,” Manacop said when pressed for an up-and-comer’s standout performance on Saturday. “She came in during the summer knowing practically nothing about rugby, but she took all that time in practice to go 100% and learn. And then after practice, asking questions and for recommendations on what she could watch and read. … Her progression fully panned out through the whole game.”
Pahulu was named Forward of the Match and really impressed her senior counterparts. Nickky Nguyen and Watkins also scored during the match, while flyhalf Emily Bowen accounted for Lightning’s five points.
“Everyone was excited because, first and foremost, they saw their hard work and commitment pay off. … Huge kudos to everyone individually,” Manacop said. “As a team, it was an opportunity for us to be more unified. We have so many new girls and these vets, so when we have such a huge victory to really celebrate over, it brings everyone closer together. When you have all of those moments of improvement building to a success like this, it brings everyone in.”
Fullerton only lost two league games last year – to Lightning and Ventura – and so the Outlaws are next on the list. But there have already been upsets in this eight-team league, and looking too far ahead can be dangerous. Santa Barbara, for example, defeated San Luis Obispo 10-5 on Saturday, and Las Vegas has posted two single-digit wins over San Fernando Valley and Pasadena. To say the least, Pacific South is a fun league to follow.
WEEK 2 RESULTS
Fullerton 15-5 O.P. Lightning
Las Vegas 12-10 Pasadena
Santa Barbara 10-5 San Luis Obispo
Ventura 51-28 San Fernando Valley