This little recap of the WPL Nationals is coming a little late, as all of the competing teams are now back home and likely recovered from the intensity of play last weekend, and USA Rugby has already posted articles detailing most of the matches from the tournament. However, I will recap anyway, because I like doing it, and a player's take on the match-ups from Nationals may differ from an onlooker's observations.
Let's first delve into the opening round of games. In the lower tier, Berkeley took on Atlanta and DC faced ORSU in the early matches. There were no upsets in either match, as the top two seeds advanced in both.
DAY 1
Atlanta v. Berkeley
Atlanta came with the pressure in this one. From the kickoff, they had Berkeley scrambling to play out of their own end, and even blocked a few attempted clearing kicks, scoring off one of them. When they weren't blocking kicks, they were pressuring the Berkeley defense, threatening to score for much of the first half, though they would only do so twice.
Berkeley, playing like the much improved squad they'd become toward the end of the season, mustered enough go-forward ball to get on the scoreboard toward the end of the first half and midway through the second half. However, as the story has been during their rough-and-tumble season, their defense let them down and gave up 26 points by the end of 80 minutes.
The result of this match-up surprised no one, as Berkeley has struggled to put points on the board all year, and Atlanta has consistently competed with the top teams in the East. However, the game, though a bit sloppy and full of scrums, was a close one, and Berkeley deserves a lot of credit for some stellar goal line defense at times.
ORSU v. DC
The second game in the lower tier also ended as expected with ORSU winning 37-5. ORSU controlled the pace and ball for most of the game, and they held DC scoreless for about 60 minutes, despite receiving two yellow cards in the contest.
Though DC only touched the ball down once, they threatened quite a few times. ORSU's physicality around the breakdown often left them exposed on the outside, and when DC was able to move the ball, they broke a few lines. But they couldn't mobilize enough support to finish off good long runs.
This was the story of the match--physical play by ORSU (on offense and defense) that led to hard hitting line breaks, and sporadic and short-lived effectiveness in the DC offense. ORSU was led by their forwards, as they have been all season, and DC, slow to the breakdowns, couldn't string together enough phases to gain momentum.
NY v. Glendale
What should've been one of the best games at this year's WPL Nationals wound up being a Glendale runaway. The first match of the top tier opened with a Glendale penalty kick and subsequent try, followed by a NY penalty kick. The first half, though a bit sloppy on both sides, was a close one and saw some great runs by both teams.
After scoring 18 points in the first half, Glendale kept that momentum going and ticked off another 19 in the second, finishing with 37 for the match. NY couldn't keep up with the fury of Glendale's pace. They only added a try to their total and the match ended 37-13.
Though NY finished their season undefeated, without any serious challenges to their spotless record, they had no answer for Glendale, who had a couple of challenging matches during their regular season. The difference in this matched seemed to be the level of preparedness. Glendale came in battle-tested, while the match-up against the defending National Champions was their first true test of the season.
SD v. Amazons
San Diego has been riding the wave of their fast-paced scoring momentum this entire season. Their lowest points total on the season was 26 in their opener against Glendale. However, in this match-up, the Amazons brought the pressure defense and held SD to only 12 points in the first half, while managing to put a penalty kick through the uprights.
The second half was a different story, as SD decided to play the quick ball game that got them to the top in the West. They doubled their first half total in the second and ended the match giving up only one try in a 36-8 victory.
This match was perhaps the most physical that SD played all season. The Amazons effectively controlled the pace of the Surfers in the first half, but the SD squad was able to break free and run in the second.
DAY 2
Berkeley v. DC
This match-up would see one of these two teams pick up their first win of their respective seasons. Though seemingly evenly matched, Berkeley proved to be the hungrier team. They scored early and often in the first half and went into halftime with a 26-0 lead.
DC's defense got four points better in the second half, but that still meant 22 Berkeley points, and their offense put up a try. The effort was, of course, not enough, as Berkeley saved their best performance for their final match in a 48-5 win.
Both of these teams will have a lot to do in the off-season to get their programs ready to compete next year. Of course, both squads have their share of talent, and it's only a matter of doing the work now.
ORSU v. Atlanta
Just as the WPL championship match was a nail-bitter, the final match in the lower tier was as well. Both ORSU and Atlanta faced formidable opposition this year, and both squads grew and improved as a result, which made for a bruiser of a match.
Atlanta played catch-up for most of the match, falling behind 5-3, then 10-3, and then catching up 10-10 as the match entered its final minutes. In the final 20 minutes of the game, Atlanta's goal line defense kept ORSU from touching down the ball about six times, but couldn't handle a seventh, as ORSU scored in the last minute to clinch 5th place 15-10.
These two teams will look to build on their momentum in the off-season. As contenders this year, they will, no doubt, be hungry for the podium next year.
NY v. Amazons
In the regular season, NY took both games against the Amazons by fairly big margins. This time around, the Amazons would keep the game close for about 60 minutes before running out of steam and letting NY pull away.
The match was a physical one, with both teams challenging hard around the breakdowns and trying their best to truck their opposites. NY, playing into the Amazons' smash-and-bash style, couldn't muster any momentum and were held to 12 points with only 20 minutes remaining, while the Amazons kept it close, tacking on 10 points.
However, the Amazons' tank hit empty with 20 minutes left in the match, and NY pulled away and ended the match with a 29-10 victory. As the top two teams in the East Conference, both NY and the Amazons want to end the West coast dominance and will be working hard in the off-season to bring back a title to the East.
SD v. Glendale
Yet another three-peat match-up, the final match of the tournament was perhaps the best. With some smashing hits and dynamic breakaway runs, the fans got all the excitement and anxiety they could ask for.
San Diego jumped out to an early 12-0 lead in the first 15 minutes of the match, but Glendale would close that gap and continue to apply pressure throughout the match. After trading tries, Glendale put a penalty kick through the uprights to close the gap 19-8 going into the half.
Glendale would hold SD scoreless for about 38 minutes of the second half, while closing the gap to three points, 19-16. Each team had some try-threatening runs and try-saving tackles with the game on the line, but it would be a late SD scoring drive that would put away the match and send the Surfers to the top of the podium.
This year, both the final two teams combined talent with hard work and an effective game plan to make it to the top. Their only losses on the season came to each other. With most players planning on sticking around for both squads, next year promises to be even more competitive in the WPL.
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