Harrisburg repeated as the DII Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) champion, defeating D.C. Furies 2 22-12 in the semifinals and Brandywine 15-0 the following day in the final. The Harlots return to Pittsburgh for the 2017 eastern regional championship (aka, national quarterfinals) and will face Midwest champion Milwaukee Scylla in the first round.
“Last year was uncharted territory for us,” Harrisburg captain Angi Raub said. “We hadn’t been [to nationals] in 10 years, and only three of our players had ever been to nationals with Harrisburg. ‘Let’s go, play hard, and see what happens,’ and we ended up surprising ourselves.”
Fortunately, those lessons haven’t been lost, as Raub and senior player Courtney Reapsome estimated that 90% of last year’s team has returned. A good group of veterans have at least five years playing together, with some boasting 7-10 years as a unit. Harrisburg has added some speed and talent in back-three players like Delaney Kelley of West Shore United and NOVA alumna Paulina Rodis, and the bench runs 30 deep.
“Everyone is healthy, we have no injuries – I don’t think we could be in a better position right now,” said Reapsome, who like Raub plays in the pack. “I couldn’t be more confident in the team.”
But it’s not just experience and a deep bench that have readied Harrisburg for the post-season. The team was well tested in Norfolk, Va., during the MAC championships, and back-to-back wins in very hot conditions bolstered the team’s confidence.
During the Saturday semifinals, Harrisburg took on fourth-seeded D.C. Furies 2. The majority of the half remained scoreless, and the Harlots suffered from some penalties. The Furies sent Anna Savage into the try zone minutes before the break, but Harrisburg wing Emily McHenry dotted down the first of her three tries. Flyhalf Georgia Goodman’s conversion was successful for the 7-5 first-half lead.
After two more tries from McHenry and a conversion and penalty from Goodman, Harrisburg triumphed 22-12 for the final’s berth.
“It was 93 degrees out that day [in April] so we were exhausted,” Raub prefaced the post-game reaction. “Overall we were excited, but we were so tired. It took us a few minutes to realize what was going on.”
The mental component of day two is ever-crucial, and Harrisburg went into the final with some assurances. First, Brandywine was guaranteed to bring even more heat in the championship after defeating Severn River 41-24 in the semifinals. Brandywine and Harrisburg share a friendly rivalry, and the teams played to a 5-5 tie in the fall.
Second, the Harlots had faith in their defense, having been tested by the Furies’ goal-line assaults. Third, a deep bench could provide relief for those still recovering physically.
“We’re 30 players deep, so we have the ability to make subs where we need to,” Reapsome said. “Players who didn’t start on Saturday started on Sunday, and we can make those changes without losing the integrity of our game.”
The two captains were among the reserves who didn’t take the pitch until the second half of the championship. Meanwhile, flyhalf Goodman took over as field captain and kept the team calm as it battled tirelessly in its own end. Finally, the ball moved to McHenry, and she pulled away for a long-range try that served as a turning point for Harrisburg.
“Our fitness prevailed,” Reapsome said. “Historically, we’ve had trouble coming back from that [pressure]. We’ve been working on it for the last two years. … And then the subs in the second half made a big difference. The other team was very tired and we started to play in their end more. We made our tackles, made smart decisions – that’s another thing we’ve been working on: making deliberate decisions.”
McHenry went on to score her second try of the final – fifth of the weekend – while Goodman added a conversion and penalty for the 15-0 victory and MAC title.
On May 20-21, Harrisburg will head three hours west for the eastern regional championships and take on Midwest champion Milwaukee Scylla in the first rounds. When asked about nerves in facing an unfamiliar opponent, Reapsome referenced a teammate’s observations that the team plays better when it has no preconceived notions of the opposition. Against a familiar team, one knows what it takes to defeat it, and that can affect one’s mentality.
“But when you don’t know a team, then all you know is that you have to play hard defense and make tackles and have a tight scrum and run at pace and do all the fundamentals,” Reapsome said.
Or in other words: Play as hard as you can.
Depending on Saturday’s outcome, Harrisburg will play Providence or Ft. Miami on Sunday, and whichever team goes 2-0 on the weekend will fly to Glendale, Colo., for the DII national championship the first weekend in June.