Photo: Rob Adelman / See More
It wasn’t that long ago, the 2014-15 season, that Tempe went winless in the DI Pacific South, but now the Ninjas are heading to their second-straight DI Club Western Regional Championship. The gains were no accident, and the team knows that connectivity and flexibility, on and off the field, will keep Tempe pointed in the right direction.
When including games against San Diego and DII Old Pueblo, Tempe went 6-0 this spring. Belmont Shore then traveled to Arizona for the DI Pacific South championship, and the hosts won 55-20.
“We changed our game plan entirely this season, and we are really starting to perform under it,” Tempe coach Aime Boekhout explained. “The team has really come together this season, both on the field and off. We were excited to play Belmont and prove to ourselves that we could stick to our game plan and perform well, and we did. Happy to have come away with the win and no major injuries.”
Tempe led Belmont Shore from the first minute, and did well to score through a diversity of positions. Prop Whitney Diem (named championship MVP alongside Dani Marshall), flankers Erica Hiddink and Makayla Dillingham (2), No. 8 Elizabeth Peterson, flyhalf Tiyana Taumanu, inside center Heleni Kuma and wing Melissa Orellana all dotted down. Hiddink added another 15 points on six conversions and a penalty.
“The difference-maker for us was cohesion,” Boekhout reflected on the final. “We have too many talented players to name, and we have had a lot of spurts this season of incredible individual performance. We had really worked the weeks prior on unity and support play.”
As the team moves deeper into the post-season, Boekhout continues to focus the team on on pushing the pace of play, producing quick ball, and remaining aware of the ball in contact. Refining those skills will be integral to success at the Western Regional championship, aka national quarterfinals, where Tempe will face the Austin Valkyries. The teams played each other last year (the Valkyries won 62-12 in a consolation match), so there’s some familiarity there. But playoff rugby is a different animal and teams have to adapt to the rigors of back-to-back, high-stakes games.
” … [A] huge factor in our success this season [is that] every one of the ladies has been open and willing to make the changes that best fit the team,” Boekhout praised. “We have been very strong in our back line this year, as there is not one combination or single player that is a weakness. Our forward pack has had to do a lot of playing in and out of position, but always finds a way to make it work very well. I am more than pleased with the depth of our roster.”
All of the DI western regional championship teams are returners from 2017. Reigning national champion Life West and the Utah Vipers will also be in Fort Worth, Texas, this weekend and play each other in the first round Saturday.
“Of course, we would love to win it all,” Boekhout enthused. “However, our goal is to take it one game at a time and really focus on playing Tempe rugby. We are feeling amazingly strong and connected right now and it is reflected in practices. We work hard in drill, and laugh hard on break. The synergy with this team is amazing right now and I could not be more proud to be a part of it.”