The WPL season continues to build up towards the Championships on November 10-12 at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Ariz. Teams are getting closer to snagging their spot in the four available semi-final matches but nothing if final yet!
The weekend started auspiciously in Chicago with torrential rain and lightening delays. Chicago took a 7 point lead early in the match but Glendale responded with two unconverted tries. With the score at 10-7 the match was called due to the weather issues. According to league regulations it will be recorded as a 10-10 tie since the match was called before halftime. Both teams also received two “bonus” points.
In a high scoring affair, ORSU hosted Berkeley All Blues and with a total of 80 points scored it was a thriller. Berkeley notched their bonus point in under 15 minutes and then added six more tries for a final score of 52-28.
Atlanta hosted the Amazons this week and the hosts could only muster a penalty throughout the match. The Amazons continue to build on a year of transition and are still looking towards one of those four semi-final spots.
“We’ve been in a transition year,” Twin Cities assistant coach Kim O’Brien said. “I don’t’ think we’ve put the same starting lineup on the field yet, which is somewhat of a challenge when you’re trying to get people time and also familiar with each other.
“[World Cup Eagle] Stacey Bridges isn’t playing for us, and that’s a big adjustment,” the coach continued. “We lost our scrumhalf [Rachel Lentsch] to a broken foot in the 7s season and have put either Sylvia Braaten or Becca Brown there. That’s a critical position, and with them switching back and forth, we haven’t been getting a lot of continuity.”
The Blue Conference continues to be a game of leap frog when you look at the standings. New York held onto their top spot this week as they defeated Beantown 38-8. With the Amazons win against Atlanta they moved up to the second spot. October 29 is a critical matchup as the Amazons will host Beantown and then New York will host the Amazons on November 5.