2H Gut-Check Propels Orlando to FL Title

Orlando and Tampa Bay could not have provided a better finale to the Florida DII club season. The lead-changing, momentum-swaying championship ended with a 24-21 decision to Orlando, and it was a fitting tribute not only to the players and staff who fueled it, but to the country’s clubs that are still waiting for their 15s seasons to return from Covid-19.

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Both finalists won their semifinals by big margins, and Tampa Bay relied on a second-half surge to pull away from Jacksonville. The Krewe knew it had to start strongly against Orlando and also disrupt its strong forward game. Meanwhile, Orlando used the semifinal against Ft. Miami to, among other objectives, build chemistry with scrumhalf Jaca English, who replaced Gabby Pennino after a concussion. Pennino was also absent from the final.

“Jaca did a phenomenal job,” Orlando captain Kristi Schnepp said of the Rookie of Match, “but there was a disconnect with the forwards. In the playoff game, the timing was on-point and it was quick ball constantly. But against Tampa, Jaca had to dig the ball out of the rucks more, so the timing was off with the forwards when they were calling for the ball. They’d start their runs and the passes would go behind them or hit them in the hip. … I can’t tell you how many knock-ons and forward passes we had. It wasn’t pretty, for us.

“But also, Tampa Bay was very good at contesting the rucks,” the flyhalf added. “They are definitely quick to the rucks and good at poaching – just a very aggressive team. We had some troubles in the first half making sure we were in support to the ruck, and when we were there, it was tough.”

Tampa Bay won the first half, going up 14-0 as it lured Orlando into its game.

“Tampa came to play that day,” Schnepp credited the Krewe. “And I’m not really sure what our breakdown was. There was a lack of intensity, which is really strange because that was what we were talking about leading up to the game. We knew Tampa would come out hard and aggressive, and that it’s hard to beat a [strong] team twice. Maybe it was overconfidence?”

Orlando did score before the break: 14-7 to Tampa Bay.

“We talked about heart,” Schnepp said of the halftime chat. “We seemed lazy in the first half and let them dictate the game offensively, and that really hurt us. We know we are physically and mentally talented, and strategic, and have all the right tools [to be successful], but we weren’t using them. … If we lost that game, it was all on us.

“We also talked about the privilege to play,” the captain referenced not only those teams across the country that have lost their seasons but the teammates who didn’t make the 23. “We said: If you’re not in it today or there’s a disconnect and you’re not feeling it, get out and let someone else who has that drive to play.”

Schnepp saw a change in the second half but hesitated to call the performance a season’s best.

“We were still playing behind, so there are still nerves,” she said. “You start getting individuals who want to score the try and be hero, and we moved away from our team game.”

But Orlando was able to consolidate its power in the forwards better, and that became a good tool for reorienting the game. When Orlando moved the ball wide, Tampa Bay’s fast-up defense frustrated the attack, and so Orlando doubled down on the crash ball and hard yards.

“Christina Norman was our MVP. She’s just a beast,” Schnepp said of leading performances. “She had awesome runs and crashes from No. 8, and was always there defensively. We had to play a lot of defense in the first half and she was hitting all her tackles.”

Schnepp also called out Forward of the Match Laurell “Pinky” Cuza, who not only scored what ended up being the winning points but was also the emblem of diehard play.

“That’s the beauty of her: She plays with so much heart and it’s why she stood out as a potential MVP for me,” Schnepp said. “She had really hurt her wrist or arm and was almost in tears, but it was: No, I’m not leaving this game. I can do this.”

Orlando scored back-to-back tries, and fullback Dasha Plotnikov, the Back of the Match, kicked her second conversion of the day for the 19-14 lead. Plotnikov played a crucial role on defense as well, cleaning up linebreaks and planting try-saving tackles. Tampa Bay answered with a converted try for a 21-19 edge. From the subsequent restart, Orlando launched a long, forwards-rooted drive in Tampa Bay’s 22.

“Tampa got at least three penalties while we were in their 22 and we just kept it in the pack for what felt like 10 minutes,” Schnepp said. “Neisha [Smith] and Christina and Kayli [Hannah] and Pinky, they all kept driving and pushing, and then Pinky finally took it over.”

Orlando took a 24-21 lead and just needed to manage the game from there out. Tampa had possession late in the match but with time winding down, a kick downfield became the best option. The ball made it to Orlando’s try zone but fullback Plotnikov won the footrace.

“That could have gone wrong real quick, but Dasha saved the game with her defense on that kick,” Schnepp said.

Plotnikov was then pushed into the touch and the final whistle sounded.

“It was nerve-wracking. That was the closest game we’ve played all season and probably one of the only times we’ve played down,” Schnepp said. “We did enough on the day but I don’t think any of us thought that was the best we could have played.”

With that said, the championship title belongs to Orlando and it’s a special one.

“Our season was cut short last year and we were in the running for the state championship,” Schnepp said. “I can’t say we would have won but in my mind we would have won. I think it would have come down to us and Tampa last year, too. So it sucked not to get that opportunity to play, and for me, it was twofold because it was my first year with Orlando.”

Spring 2020 was also looking like the first time in a long time that longtime champion Ft. Miami wasn’t a frontrunner for the title.

“So this year we got redemption, not only as a team but for the season [that was taken from us],” Schnepp closed. “Covid has sucked. It stopped all of us in our tracks and dispersed everyone. For Orlando, and I’m sure many other teams, it really hurt participation. A lot of girls who have played many years were pushed out of work or had family that got sick or they got sick themselves and weren’t able to come out.”

Schnepp was also grateful that the whole Florida field stepped up. Early in the season there was some conversation about how competitive the league might be, but all of the teams leaned into a hard-fought spring.

Looking ahead, Orlando is taking a couple of weeks off and just enjoying being state champs. Florida is also hosting a summer 7s circuit, and with the numbers to field two squads, Orlando will gear up for another competitive season.