Long Beach State / Photo: Joseph Kling
It’s tournament season in the Pacific South, and events in Long Beach, Calif., and Tempe, Ariz., brought DI and DII colleges from the Gold Coast, West Coast and Pacific Coast conferences together for 15s. CSU Long Beach and Arizona State played host as nine squads start mobilizing for the spring league season.
RELATED: Women’s Rugby Results: Oct. 20-22 • Gold Coast Conference • Resource: College Conferences & Teams
The first Battle at the Beach was a collaborative effort between newly hired Long Beach State coach Alison Taylor and the team, in particular the vets and team manager. The organizers also worked with rec sports and the men’s team to stabilize the first-time event.
Six DI and DII teams from three California conferences committed to the tournament, which filled a nice spot on the pre-season schedule. Chico State, CSU Northridge, Fresno State, UC Riverside, USC and UC Santa Barbara played 25-minute matches as they worked toward building their spring shape.
“It was a lot of players’ first games. The refs controlled the game and made it a great learning environment for our new players, and [did it] with a sense of humor,” added Taylor, who collected ample praise for the officials.
Tournament MVP Stefani Bergerhouse, Chico State / Photo: Joseph Kling
By day’s end, it was two DI teams that readied for the championship. Unfortunately, after two physical games, UCSB and its low numbers forfeited its final’s berth, and host Long Beach State stepped in.
“Chico brought two teams and was the powerhouse everyone feared playing but wanted to beat,” Taylor noted. “Long Beach put up a valiant effort [but] was also low on numbers. Chico gladly handed over a front row filler, as they traveled with a solid 42 players.”
Chico State won the tournament trophy, and power runner Stefanie Bergerhouse was named MVP. She was one of six Chico State players who was selected to the Pacific Mountain Conference All-Star team that toured Ireland during the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Alison Taylor (center) with her college coaches, Alex and Mary Triantafyllou of Chico State
“It was bittersweet playing them in the final,” confessed Taylor, who played her collegiate rugby under Chico coaches Alex and Mary Triantafyllou. “I’m so proud of my girls for stepping up and playing that final match the whole way through.”
Taylor has been busy since leaving NorCal, and her new post as Long Beach State is one of four rugby roles she plays. For the previous three years, Taylor has also served as the Mira Costa High School forwards coach for the boys’ 15s team and head coach for the girls’ 7s team. She’s also the strength-and-conditioning coach for the Los Angeles Rugby Club men’s team.
Arizona State vs. Arizona / Jeff Dalton Photography
The Gold Coast conference saw three of its members contest a round robin in Tempe, Ariz. Host Arizona State welcomed fellow DI Arizona as well as DII Grand Canyon University, which is prepping for its second-ever league season. In its first season, the Lopes finished third at the DII spring championship and that experience was on display last weekend, even in the dark.
Thanks to Jeff Dalton for photographing the games! Click the image below for the full album.
#LongBeachState