The Midwest runs five Division II club competitions across the vast region, and the East Conference’s South pool held its first league match of the season. Fort Wayne (1-0) traveled to Michigan to play Grand Rapids (0-1), and returned to Indiana with a 24-21 win. On the other side of the pool, Dayton (1-0) beat Lexington (0-1) 35-5.
RELATED: Fixtures & Results: Sept 8-12
Kara Fultz is the head coach, but the former tackle football player will still boot up when the team needs it. She’s spent years as a player-coach but asserted that she’s focusing her energy into the coaching role this season.
“I’m really enjoying it,” Fultz said. “I feel like I have a lot more intentionality in practice prep and things like that, since I’m not participating in the drills [as a player]. The team is really coming together and we’ve got some new, young players as well as key vets this year.”
During the Covid-19 playing hiatus, Fort Wayne was able to run around in fall 2020 and held one intra-squad scrimmage. Spring 2021 brought some regularity back to the squad, and four games in April-May built some momentum.
“We played really well in the spring,” Fultz said. “We have some really talented people in both the forwards and back line. Our goal coming into the season is to go undefeated in our division and we’re capable of doing that.”
Captain and veteran Megan Ahnen sets the tone on the pitch, and she deploys a potent back line.
“Megan’s been with the club four years and is a fantastic leader on the pitch,” Fultz said of the flyhalf. “Her rugby IQ is very high and she’s just a great player. She sees and plays the field really well.”
Tori Gettys (who was unavailable for Saturday) and Anansa Harris make for a powerful center pairing. Gettys (maiden name: Jones) was a USA U20 player and brings that Notre Dame pedigree to the squad. Harris has size, speed and great hands, and the duo have real line-breaking power. When connected with the back three, there’s a lot of scoring potential there.
“We have a lot of youth in our pack. It’s an area of development,” Fultz said. “Right now we have two flankers with a couple seasons under their belts: Chloe Reneau and Gabrielle Ellis. They have a decent amount of experience and are good tacklers. Chloe had a fantastic game against Grand Rapids. Lot of really good tackles that prevented people from scoring.
“The other person we’re really relying on is one of our locks, Emily Vian,” Fultz said of the Purdue graduate. “She’s a pack player with really good speed and tackling ability.”
Fort Wayne was supposed to open the season on Sept. 4 against Dayton, but that game has been rescheduled for Oct. 2. Grand Rapids also had its Labor Day Weekend game moved to October; however, the Growlers were able to play a friendly before the league kicked off. The teams officially kicked off the regular season against each other on Sept. 11.
There were the expected first-game nerves and an adjustment period to playing competitive rugby again.
“Sixty-five percent of the first half was played on our half of the field,” Fultz said. “Little mistakes. We were turning the ball over not just inside their 22 but one time in their five meter. It’s frustrating; you get so close and don’t come away with any points. The second half was more back-and-forth than the first half, but I still felt like overall we played a pretty clean match.”
Grand Rapids was able to poach possession due to the visitors’ slower support to the tackle, and fitness shortfalls became more prominent as the game elapsed. Fort Wayne’s scrums and lineouts were a strength, and hooker Anna Lopez, normally a prop, did well to steal some of the Growlers’ put-ins. She had a very good game, especially as a first-timer in the demanding position.
“Every minute the girls played, they got more comfortable and communicated better with each other,” Fultz said. “That was the difference – them coming together.”
A turning point came in the waning minutes of the match. Grand Rapids scored two quick tries to overtake Fort Wayne, and the visitors reacted in a way that spoke to their grit.
“We had marched down the field and got close to their try line, and we lost the ball and a girl ran 80 meters down the field to score,” Fultz said. “You can look at that and feel really defeated and say, ‘We just lost the lead,’ or you go back to work.”
Fort Wayne buckled down and produced one more try and one more lead change to end the game: 24-21 for the win. On the day, Fultz, Ahnen, Katrina Bard and Karissa Riddle scored the tries.
“It was hot [Saturday]. People were tired,” Fultz said. “[The comeback] shows that the girls have a strong desire to win and that they weren’t going to get beat down by that previous try. It shows the determination and drive of the team.”
The outing set a nice platform from which to grow.
“Grand Rapids is our best competition in our division, and before we meet again, we have to change and re-evaluate things and coach up the players,” Fultz said. “It was the first game of the season, so it was a little sloppy. But I’m feeling good about where we started.”
League games continue through Oct. 16, but Oct. 2 is also an important date. Grand Rapids and Lexington are meeting in Fort Wayne to contest their game, and Fort Wayne and Dayton will also be playing. All four teams will be together.
“How often does that happen,” Fultz enthused. “We are prepping for that social.”
The team that wins the South pool will play the DII East “North” winner on Oct. 23, and that victor will funnel into what is essentially the DII Midwest quarterfinals on Oct. 30.
“In the last seven years we always seem to place in the top half of every division we play in,” Fultz said. “But we’ve yet to place in the top of the division. Previously we were in the same division as Cincinnati, so they tend to the take the top spot. When we played against the CARFU teams, the Morrigans were the team to beat. But Cincinnati is in the DI/DII hybrid league, so right now as I see it, Fort Wayne is the team to beat in our current division.”
MIDWEST
Women’s results from Sept. 11-12
DIV I
Chicago Lions 114-0 Chicago
Metropolis Valkyries 67-0 Wisconsin
DIV II
Pittsburgh Forge 54-21 Detroit (DI)
Cincinnati 28-8 Buffalo
Akron 33-22 South Buffalo
Cleveland @ North Buffalo CLD
Ft Wayne 24-21 Grand Rapids
Dayton 35-5 Lexington
Chicago Sirens 50-5 Fox Valley
Oconomowoc 63-0 County Will
Milwaukee 94-0 Minneapolis
Palmer College 38-15 Twin Cities