Levy at 2018 nationals
New York entered this Women’s Premier League (WPL) season with some rebuilding ahead of it. Tiff Faaee signed on as full-time head coach, having stepped into the position mid-season last year, while the player pool saw some key players transfer and fresh faces fill the ranks. It took some time to find a rhythm but after last weekend’s win against Beantown, New York has turned a corner.
Key players like Carly Waters (Glendale), Kristen Siano (Berkeley) and Shamira Robles (Atlanta) transferred to new clubs, and they had filled important roles at scrumhalf, flyhalf and fullback, respectively. Captain Jennifer Salomon, Alycia Washington, Justina DeBruzzi (who is recently injured but still very active) and Gio Cruz (who is back from injury) are at the core of the leadership group, while veterans like Misha Green, Andrea Villanova and Skylar Neil add another layer of experience to anchor the squad.
“There’s lots of language and culture of holding those guys accountable and really owning the team and backing themselves,” Faaee said of the team leaders. “You can get very used to certain voices and when they disappear others are forced to step up. Some of them didn’t see themselves in those roles and are rising to the occasion and blossoming and flourishing and surprising themselves with how good they are. It’s cool to see the rookies from my year, to give them responsibility and have them grab it with two hands and do a good job.”
Valuable pick-ups include Penn State graduate Gianna Solomon and former Nittany Lion teammate Tess Feury, who joined from DII Morris, as well as Dana Alimena (Claremont Colleges), whom Faaee knows from the Collegiate All-American assembly in Greeley, Colo. Chloe Jex from the D.C Furies, which now compete in the DI East, has been a boon at No. 8, and Boston transfer Abigael Yotts started playing with New York during the summer 7s season.
“We’re trying to find the right combinations, but we’re also trying to figure the right positions for everyone,” Faaee said. “We have some players coming from college and maybe they were playing positions that those teams needed. So in the first two or three games, we were playing people in positions we thought they might be good in.”
There was some anxiety the first three games as this new dynamic sorted itself, and so Faaee was careful not to introduce anything too intricate or new concepts.
“I kept the shape very similar [to last year] because with all the new people I wanted to keep some things familiar for consistency,” the coach said. “And then once we find our rhythm as a squad, then we can look at exploring other options and seeing what our strengths are.”
New York was 1-2 heading into game four against Beantown and expected a physical contest in Boston. Training focused on a robust defense, one that could disrupt Beantown’s flow and produce turnover ball – a scenario that had been serving New York well this season in terms of creating offense.
“Most of Tuesday was spent on defense, making sure we make our tackles. We’re fortunate with numbers, too, so we’re able to up the ante,” Faaee said. “Our starting squad has to be good defensively, so everyone’s putting their hand up and being really physical.”
Captain Salomon, who had been playing flyhalf, was not available for the match, and that allowed Faaee to experiment with some positions.
“With Jen being away, it was a good opportunity to build depth,” Faaee said. “We looked at Tess [Feury] at 10 and other options at fullback. Gianna was playing center for us and then moved to 9, and that was a good change for us. We were able to play at pace, a bit faster, and get the ball a bit wider.”
Beantown took a 3-0 lead with a Tatjana Toeldte, but those were the only points the home team scored. New York rallied with two tries in each half, with Sarah Levy, Washington, Green and Cruz all dotting down. Feury added a conversion for the 22-3 win.
“They proved themselves against Beantown,” Faaee said. “I don’t know if we’ve ever shut out Beantown [from the try zone]. I’m happy for them to get that result so they can see what hard work gets you. It’s raised the standard for us.”
Saturday’s match was a turning point for New York. A lot of positivity and confidence building came out of that win, and Faeee noted a change once the squad started having fun with its rugby. It translated into a win, but also built momentum for the back half of the season. New York knows it has work to do, but it is ready to keep working now that it’s turning potential into product. Faaee, too, is eager to work as the squad starts showcasing its strengths and requiring more nuance.
New York will have two weeks to prepare for Atlanta, which won the teams’ first meeting 25-7 in Georgia. Click here for current standings.