WPL Match Summary & Video – DC Furies vs Twin City Amazons by Valerie Berstene

Manassas, VA was sunny and cool this past Sunday, an ideal setting for a day of rugby. Play got underway at 10:30 am with the visiting Twin Cities Amazons kicking off to the DC Furies. It didn’t take long for the Amazons to make their mark, driving over the Washington tryline five minutes into the game. The Amazons came back again hard after the restart, forcing the Furies to play a vigorous defense inside their 22. The Zons put up 7 more points on the board before the Furies began to gain momentum and take charge offensively. A series of off-sides penalties for the Amazons kept the play in the Furies’ favor despite a volley for posession between the 22’s. Offensively, DC worked together to maintain possession and chip away at the Amazon’s line. Inside center Jeanna Beard punched through the defense, bringing the Furies up the field and a boot by flyhalf and captain, Katie Bell, was recovered by the Furies’ wing. Despite the offensive momentum for the home team, the Zons got their hands on the ball and were able to run it down the field for another try before the half. A kick through the uprights had the Twin Cities leading at the half, 26-0.

The second half continued where the first had left off: the Furies applied pressure on defense and kept possession, but the Amazons were able to find gaps with the ball in their hands and bring their score up. Right off the half, the DC defense was forced mistakes from the Amazons, soliciting calls for forward passes and off-sides. Then, the Zons won a lineout and shot down the field for their first try of the second half. As the half progressed the Amazons were able to shake the defense and rack up another 29 points to win the match 65-0.

Despite the loss, Washington’s Head Coach, Nancy Fitz, is optimistic that the team will continue to show improvement in the second round of WPL matches. “We implemented the things we worked on in practice, which was great to see,” says Fitz. “But we made too many mistakes and when that happens against a very good team like the Amazons, they make you pay for it. So while the score wasn’t great, there are a lot of good things we can take from this game and build on for the second half of the regular season.”

Next week the Furies play at home, facing off against Beantown for the second time this season. The Amazons will host Keystone.

Match Video

2012 Week 3 – Furies V Amazon (2nd Half) from Women's Premier League Rugby on Vimeo.

View the complete 2012 WPL Schedule and Results here.

View all of the match reports from this season here.