DC Furies vs New York | WPL Rugby Match Report & Video

DC Furies Defeat NYRC to Kick Off 2014 WPL Season

New York Rugby Club DC Furies Women's RugbyOn a beautiful day for rugby in Northern Virginia, the DC Furies came out hard with a win at home over NYRC to kick off their WPL season. With a final score of 25-10 for the Furies, this weekend’s match showed DC’s potential, highlighted their strengths, and exposed areas for improvement throughout the season.

With a strong start, DC scored to take the lead early in the first half. Despite injuries in two of the starting back three, seamless substitutions allowed the Furies to carry their offensive momentum to a 15-0 lead by the end of the first half with a converted try and a kick for points. Early in the second half, NYRC capitalized on a lack of defensive discipline and several tackling errors to score two tries, threatening the Furies’ lead. But after regrouping with increased focus and intensity, DC kicked for another three points and converted another try to finish with a solid victory.

“The Furies’ goal for the match was to implement the dynamic and fast-paced game plan they have been working on during practice, and they had moments where that plan worked very effectively” said coach Dre Khoury. DC played significant portions of the game within scoring range and maintained possession throughout multiple phases, but struggled to finish due to errors in handling and set pieces. With the focus now on execution, the Furies plan to reduce errors in decision-making and basic skills that hampered their effectiveness on attack.

There were several standout performances over the course of the game. Hunter Griendling, recovered from a knee injury, provided a steadying influence and solid leadership in the back line, and Cynthia Wright, a recent transplant from the West Coast, “made a huge impact with her devastating tackles and her aggressive running”, according to Khoury. Maggie Olney, new to the Furies, played three different positions between the backs and forwards and was effective in all areas of the field, and Emily Smith was a fan favorite. Khoury pointed out that “it speaks volumes about a team when someone who has been a dedicated member finally gets a chance to shine at the highest level and steps up to the challenge and is successful”; Ellen Treimel exemplified those qualities, showing impressive knowledge of the game plan and consistently stepping up to tackle, ruck, and provide support to her teammates.

Following the match, the Furies and NYRC both fielded B-Side squads for another competitive match, which NYRC won 10-3. As Khoury noted, “the Furies are as successful as they are because of their dedication to fielding a competitive B-Side and a Division II side each weekend”, allowing substitutes and Division II players to gain valuable high-level experience.

During the B-Side match, both teams played hard, “but with a lot of substitutions and players out of position, it was a little choppy” said Division 2 coach Lance Pruett. “The Furies were strong in the set pieces and were able to keep possession for long periods, but were unable to break the NYRC defense”. Jen Putnam was outstanding in her first 15s match as a prop and Anna Cohen-Price was dominant in the lineout and was ferocious in defense. Katie “Sally” O’Malley led the back line well from the flyhalf position, and did a great job directing traffic and moving the ball. Sarah “Fagan” Grose also did a fantastic job at fullback, making some important tackles and inserting well into the back line.

All the players had a great experience, and are looking forward to continued improvement next weekend when they play the Amazons in Minnesota on Sept 21st.

Match Video

View the complete WPL schedule, results and more here.

1 thought on “DC Furies vs New York | WPL Rugby Match Report & Video”

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.