Scylla Gets Its Shot at Nationals

It’s taken 13 years for Milwaukee Scylla to get out of the Midwest. Since competing at DII club nationals in 2004, the team has advanced to the Midwest semifinals six of the previous seven years, and has had national champions like Wisconsin and Pittsburgh stand in its way. Scylla kept its head down, kept working, and retained a dedicated core of players invested in progressing past the Midwest championship – and it’s finally paid off. [Photos: Sabrina Bukvich]

Milwaukee Scylla competed against 2015 national champion and 2016 runner-up Wisconsin during the regular season, and the pair met in last year’s Midwest championship. There are obvious pros and cons to playing against a national champion on a regular basis (something with which fellow 2017 national finalist SFGG is familiar).

“We definitely loved playing Wisconsin, and they were definitely our most difficult competition every season,” Milwaukee Scylla coach Linda Niemela said. “That said, we were not unhappy to hear they were moving to DI. They were a team we prepared for and were always our biggest challenge – and we miss them in that capacity.”

The promotion also coincided with a pared-down post-season that began with a Midwest final four rather than quarterfinals. Had this set-up existed last year, then 2016 runner-up Scylla would have been eliminated from the Midwest post-season. But now everything’s aligning, and Scylla hasn’t hesitated in taking advantage of the opportunity.

“For the most part we have a lot of returners,” Scylla president Jessica Martinez said. “Being so close to the Midwest championship the past few years, we have a core group of women who know what it would take to get to this point and continue to commit to the club. We have new recruits and they add youth and fitness to the club … but for the most part, it’s a lot of returners who are continuing to progress toward this goal.”

The squad is led by a trio of captains: flanker Lori Haymon, scrumhalf Kyla Hensel and flyhalf Mara Wellner. They’ve been with the club for years and are supported by a nine-member executive board, which diffuses responsibility and prevents player burnout. After winning its local division, Scylla was fresh and ready to embark on the first step toward nationals: Midwest final four in early May. First up was Will County Morrigans in the semifinals.

“We had the game in hand, and we had some players bordering on injury that I did sub out pretty early in the second half,” Scylla coach Linda Niemela reflected on the 24-20 win. “I don’t know that that was the reason that the team let up, but they did let up. Will County scored tries late to make the score close at the end.

“Even though our post-game was, ‘Yay, we won,’ it wasn’t happy because we did let up,” the coach continued. “That was a great learning moment for us – that we settled and didn’t finish like we wanted to. … The team took a lot away from that game and we made a lot of changes in how we close a game.”

The team used those lessons in its 20-14 win over Buffalo in the Midwest championship, another close contest that helped Scylla refine its late-game tactics.

“There was a definitely a moment of celebration but really it was something we knew we were capable of the past few years,” Martinez reflected on the title. “So it was being a bit celebratory but also confirming what we’ve known all along, that we had the potential and were just as capable to win as those from previous years. We just had to figure out how to make it happen for ourselves.”

Scylla readied for the eastern portion of the DII club national quarterfinals, which pit the Midwest champion against the Mid-Atlantic champion, Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania squad was also veteran-heavy and had lost to Wisconsin in last year’s national semifinals.

“I felt the early part of the game was pretty even. The intensity was equally matched,” Martinez said. “Although we went up first in the game, they quickly neutralized our lead after the half – 10-10. The momentum was with whoever had the ball.”

Martinez indicated that it came down to the integrity of the defense, and that’s where Scylla was able to prevail. Fullback Chelsea Willes was named player of the match for her stalwart defense in the open field. She did an excellent job on the kick-return and was an active, effective member in the back line. In the fourth quarter, Milwaukee kept the scoreboard ticking over for the 23-10 win.

Meanwhile, Providence defeated Ft. Miami 18-15 for the berth to the national semifinal against Scylla.

“Providence attacked in a way that we had actually discussed, and we were prepared for that early in the game,” Niemela spoke to the Rhode Island team’s open-field attack and box kick-and-chase. “They actually scored first – they dropped one in the corner, chased it down and scored. That was our turning point.”

Ten minutes into the game, Niemela made a potentially risky change to the defensive strategy. Providence played with great field awareness and Scylla needed more insurance in the back field. Willes, who was so prevalent in the Harrisburg win, needed to play in a more conservative position.

“It was hard because she was inserting and had the ball in hand nearly every play, and here I was dropping her half a field back along with a wing,” Niemela said. “It took her out of the game but was necessary. Once the defense adjusted to their attack, our offense started moving.”

Insider center Abigail Williams was a motivational force. She did well in terms of field management and kicking for points, and the team fed off of her line-breaks during the 41-17 win.

Scylla is heading to Glendale, Colo., for the DII club national championship against San Francisco Golden Gate, winner of western regionals. The Wisconsin squad is nervous and excited, but mostly eager to give the national final a go.

“This team has worked and dedicated itself to the goal,” Martinez said. “We have a core group of people who have been close and been hungry to get to this point, but just having the talent without the hard work wouldn’t have gotten us here. It’s really evident how we’ve progressed through the season and peaked at the right time. We’re really excited everything’s coming true and we get to live the dream out.