Photo: Meredith Nelson (view more)
Every game in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) brings interest, and Week 4 is no different. One Red Conference game will snap an undefeated record, and the other will afford a first win of the season. In the Blue Conference, the newcomer plays its first WPL home game, and the other pits two teams that finished on either side of a single-digit decision last week against each other.
RELATED: WPL Home Page • WPL Scoring Leaders • WPL Week 3 Review
Atlanta contested its first home game last weekend (21-0 loss to New York) and the 23-player roster featured several current and recent graduates of DI Elite Life University. Atlanta inside center and Life University head coach Ros Chou is the link in this mutually beneficial relationship.”It’s been a surreal and extremely rewarding experience to call them my teammates,” Chou reflected on playing alongside the collegians.
Kim Semiglia and Gracie Martinez graduated in the spring, while Kaitlyn Broughton, Darian Lovelace, Megan Rom, Sylina Flowers, Angie Owen and Tayler VanHoosier are current Running Eagles.
“Many have been identified as part of the HP pathway and some feedback they’ve been getting from HP has been to play in competitive matches more often,” explained Chou, who was able to secure waivers for the WPL participation. “So, we’re trying to get each of them some time in three WPL regular-season matches if it works for both teams’ schedules and rosters, being mindful of managing their minutes so they are not overloaded.”D.C. was very much in last weekend’s game against Beantown, and 79th minute try pushed the final to 17-5. It was a much improved performance that came after a bye week, and the Furies will be looking to build on that momentum.
Perhaps the game of the weekend is New York vs. Twin Cities, a battle of the 2-0 teams. New York will play its third-straight game on the road, while Twin Cities will play its third-straight game at home. But New York coach James English isn’t bothered by the schedule.”We look forward to visiting the Amazons this Sunday,” English noted. “It’s great to get these away games out of the way, especially with two wins in the bag. WPL teams can be very different at home to on the road, so it’s good to test ourselves early before we welcome them back to Hell Gate later this fall.”
New York has vetted players who have been groomed in its developmental ranks as well as newcomers from local clubs who are testing the WPL. Twin Cities has fielded familiar lineups – the bonus of home games – and welcomed back World Cup Eagle Sylvia Braaten to the lineup, at scrumhalf. The team did take a couple injuries against Atlanta, and we’re keen to see if top finisher Kaelene Lundstrum will be back on the wing.
In the Blue Conference, Berkeley returns from a bye week to play in its first away game against Chicago North Shore. The All Blues are 1-1 and thus far have shown a great capacity to rally in the second half. Bulou Mataitoga is a spark plug and has been alternating between flyhalf and fullback. Away games stress player availability, so it’s possible that we’ll peer farther into Berkeley’s depth this weekend.
North Shore is looking for its first-ever WPL win, having played Glendale (20-6) and ORSU (24-17) to competitive losses, and will pursue that benchmark to hometown support.
“I think we have shown that we are a force to be reckoned with,” North Shore captain Lauren Trout asserted. “We are still learning and adapting to the pace of the WPL, but I’m proud of how the team has stepped up.”
North Shore led the Jesters 14-0 before the Oregon team’s comeback, and ORSU co-captain Rachel Johnson is hoping to take those lessons to San Diego this weekend.
“Defensively, our coaches focused on our one-on-one tackling as well as our defense shape, when to pressure and when to play soft. I think the team made improvements in these areas and were able to contain Chicago North Shore much better than with Berkeley,” the flanker compared the team’s two games. “Offensively, we focused on spreading our point of attack, creating more strike options and creating faster ball at the ruck. We definitely made progress here, but I predict we will continue to focus on these aspects.”
For current standings, scoring details and match reports, visit wplrugby.org.