The Empire rugby union, which governs clubs in the New Jersey / New York / Connecticut region, began its regular season with DII and DIII games last weekend. Of all the matches, Monmouth and Brooklyn played the most competitive contest, with the former winning 22-10.
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Like many clubs emerging out of the Covid-19 playing hiatus, Monmouth is focusing on rebuilding numbers and making sure everyone is comfortable with playing conditions. The New Jersey club hosted teams during the spring, playing any version of the game that numbers allowed, and relished in the opportunity to reconnect with the rugby community.
“Right before the pandemic, we had a good amount of vets retire, quote on quote. We always try to pull them out of retirement,” Monmouth captain Diana Valencia laughed. “Now we have younger girls coming out and contributing a lot, which is great.
“But it’s been hard with numbers and I think a part of it is the pandemic, but we’re always wondering how other teams are getting such great recruiting numbers,” she continued. “It’s something we’re trying to figure out in our area, because Monmouth County isn’t too close to any big rugby hubs.”
Monmouth’s Julia Guercio with the stiff-arm
Monmouth played in a few summer 7s tournaments, and the team took that participation as an indicator that people were still interested in playing. Important veterans like Jennifer Jones, Leah Berry, Kat Hussey and Alex Rumsey returned and form an important core, and of course club alumni Maureen and Jeff Kaltenbach knit the team together as coaches.
“We’re trying to get some of the younger players to step up and lead as well,” Valencia said. “Josselin Lopez, Ashley Allen and Chloe Giannone are in that younger age group and they’re taking some leadership on and off the field. Gabby Colasurdo and Danielle Potes are really, really new but they’re stepping up and playing hard.”
Monmouth had 18 players travel to Brooklyn for the DII Empire opener on Saturday.
“We could not have asked for a better team to kick off the season,” Valencia said. “Everyone was really nervous after not playing in so long, and you don’t know where other clubs stand in terms of how long they’ve been practicing or what their numbers look like. Brooklyn is super competitive to play and it was a really hard-fought game, but we also had a really good time playing against them. It was super clean, fast rugby, and there was never anything negative on the field. It was really the perfect way to come back.”
Valencia described a mostly back-and-forth game.
“No one was running away with it,” she said. “We had a less experienced side than we’ve had in past years, but we saw glimpses of really good things.”
Pam Olsen moves the ball to wing Chloe Giannone
Giannone in particular showed well. The wing had floated around the field, position wise, looking for a best fit, but after two tries on Saturday, she looks good as a finisher. Monmouth ended the day with a bonus-point win.
“You win your first game and you’re pumped up, right,” Valencia said of the game’s impact. “We’ll see how it goes. It would be nice if the young girls got a fire under their butts going, but if not, we’re cool with that, too.
“You always want to be competitive. You never want to phone it in,” Valencia thought on goals for the season. “But we are focusing on fun, staying safe, and getting all the minutes we can to bring that experience up. Obviously it would be great if we got to playoffs and all that stuff, but we’re just taking it one week at a time and reassessing everything as we go.”
Also in DII Empire, Morris beat the Village Lions 60-22, and New York shut out New Haven 68-0. This Saturday, Sept. 18, New Haven plays Danbury, and New York plays Monmouth.
In Division III, Union and Fairfield played the only regulation match, with the Mudturtles coming out on top 72-12. Fullback Jordyn Marlin, outside center Mercedez Roper and inside center Elizabeth Sandford scored three tries apiece, while wing Alyssa DeSordi, prop Abigail Holmes and prop Kathryn Duca also dotted down. Hooker Tiffani Gregory added six conversions for 12 points. Wing Dominika Brice and outside center Jessica Taylor scored for Fairfield, and Brice accounted for the conversion.
White Plains and Long Island played 10s, but that game will go down as a White Plains forfeit. And Ithaca has forfeited its season and has been removed from the schedule. Ithaca was supposed to Rochester on Saturday. This weekend sees Union vs. Long Island, and Fairfield vs. White Plains.