More alumnae in the college game

pictured:  Talia Carrasquillo, UNI.   Post match picture of both teams.

Saturday afternoon perennial national power Northern Iowa played UW-Madison in a division one women's collegiate match.   UNI won 73-5.

Former Kettle Moraine captain Talia Carrasquillo scored FIVE times in the match.  Those who've been following WGR for years remember Talia as one of the fiercest competitors and class acts in the league.

While we already mentioned all the WGR alumni playing at Madison, UNI has also been attracting top level talent for years.  Talia has been joined at UNI by several other WGR alumni over the years including Kaisse Weissmueller from Brookfield, and the Catholic Memorial pair of  Eileen Lieb and freshman flyhalf Molly Langhenry.

Congrats to all the ladies and coaches involved!

WGR Week 3 Scores and Standings

Pictured 1:  DSHA's Taylor Bragg Brock against Appleton.
Pictured 2,3,4:  Oak Creek (black) v Fond Du Lac

Friday Sept 26th, 2014

Catholic Memorial  28  DSHA jv 5

     In a wonderfully well-played, back and forth match, both sides seemed to improve as the match wore on. The play of the game occurred in the first half, as Memorial with a series of sustained pressure and multiple earned penalties, was hammering away at the young Dasher's, only for DS to get the turnover and explode for a burst down the far sideline.  A long break away was snuffed out by the covering defense of Memorial's 9 and 15.  Memorial then turned the ball over in the tackle and preceded in their own counterattack.  The ensuing long break led Freshman back Allison Koenig to scamper all the way back for a long try.  A penalty kick by junior Meaghan Schmitt added to the lead a short while later.
     The Dashers responded on the opening play of the second half, after a flubbed kickoff return by the Crusaders.  After moving the ball through some hands and keeping the ball alive, Dasher's fullback Tara Sweeney, who was impressive all game long stopping several line breaks, scored the try from twenty meters out.  Both sides continued to play well in spurts thereafter. Schmitt responded with another penalty kick, and Memorial added tries from Kelsey Gustafson, Niina Sjogren, and Christy Hill in the second half.
     DSHA #13 Colleen Marcoux, along with the oustanding #9 Genevieve Ruesch showed how much progress they've made to go along with their clear talent.  Dasher #8 Sarah Clarke was instrumental in working around the middle of the field.   Crusader scrumhalf, junior Ellie Metz, was simply outstanding for Memorial in defense, attack, and her leadership.  She seemed to be all over the field, as was her counterpart in the third row, Christy Hill, who as just a sophomore, played like a far more experienced player.

Saturday Sept 27th, 2014:

DSHA 50 Appleton 0
DSHA remained undefeated with a commanding victory.

Fond Du Lac  26 Oak Creek 17
In a pretty well matched game, the visitors from Fond Du Lac pulled out a big conference win, to remain unbeaten.  According to Oak Creek head coach Chris Kurth, 'their kicker was pretty terrific."  The Oak Creek backs ran the ball and defended well, but Fond Du Lac did well to hold up runners with choke tackles and stripped the ball on multiple occasions.  It appears Fond Du Lac won a close one by either 6 or 9 points.  Final score remains unconfirmed at this time.

Muskego 5 Kettle Moraine  77  (10's)
Due to low numbers, Muskego and Kettle Moraine played 10's.  Kudos to Muskego for showing up and getting some experience with a short side.  Seniors Lindsey Hillmer and Courtney Crouse led the way for KM with four tries a piece.  Morgan Saenz was 6 of 13 on conversions.

 

Kettle Moraine had the more experienced team and benefited from an overall team speed advantage. The Knightmare's tackling, hitting low, and wrapping up helped them control the contest.

 

Near the end of the first half, Muskego showed improvement with a period of sustained possession where they strung together a series of 6-7 attacking phases.  Muskego did a great job of rucking and finished the match with a well-earned try.

Vernon 35 Brookfield 17 (non-conference cross over match)
In another competitive match, Vernon jumped out to an early lead through the power and possession of their pack.  The tough battle up front challenged the Bruiser's inexperienced front row.  Front row forwards like freshman Nicky Lehton and Kenzie Houdek battled admirably upfront but were unable to check Vernon as they raced out to a 25-0 halftime lead.  Vernon senior flyhalf Lexi Prusheik finished with at least three tries.
     After some halftime adjustments and positional changes, Brookfield was able to get Reina Anderson the ball more frequently by moving her closer to the ball.  Vernon's pressure defense couldn't prevent her from getting the ball anymore and Anderson preceded to score three tries all in the 60 meter or more range in the second half.  Brookfield newcomer Aiyanna Primer continued to run strong from the center slot.  The sophomore tackling trio of Samantha Jenson, Jenna Chaplock, and Julie Lutzen  played hard.  In the end Vernon's pack poured it on hard in the final eight minutes to tack on two more tries in securing the victory and squelching a great comeback.  Bruiser's head coach added that "I am extremely satisfied with the courage of our young players hanging in there to battle, not giving up."  

Standings

The Classic Five Conference
Catholic Memorial   3-0          (4-0 overall)
DSHA jv                  2-1           (3-1 overall)
Kettle Moraine         1-1           (2-2 overall)
Vernon                     0-2           (1-2 overall)
Muskego                  0-2           (0-3 overall)

The North Shore Conference
DSHA                     3-0           (4-0 overall)
Fond Du Lac           2-0           (3-0 overall)
Brookfield               1-1           (1-2 overall)
Oak Creek               0-2           (0-4 overall)
Appleton                 0-3

WGR Week 3 Preview

WGR conference action heats up with the third of five rounds of play.  The playoff picture will start taking shape as there will surely be one less undefeated team left.

Friday Sept 26th
Catholic Memorial vs DSHA jv 430pm  Minooka Park  ---game of the week--
This is in all likelihood the Classive Five conference title decider.  With homecoming celebrations going on a Memorial, a good crowd is expected.

Saturday Sept 27th
DSHA v Appleton  11am  Dretzka Park

Fond Du Lac v Oak Creek 1230pm  Dretzka Park

Muskego v Kettle Moraine 10am  Vernon Town Hall Park

Vernon v Brookfield 1130am  Vernon Town Hall Park  (non-conference crossover match)

State Tournament and Sponsors

On October 26th, WGR will be hosting the State Tournament at the Milwaukee Country Sports Complex in Franklin, WI.

There are a number of opportunities to either be a tournament sponsor or to place an ad in the tournament program. If you are interested in these opportunities, please contact a member of your favorite team for more details or contact WGR Treasurer Shannon King at shannonking88@gmail.com.

These ads are great ways to promote your business or to wish good luck to your team or player. We hope you consider supporting Wisconsin Girls Rugby!

WGR Conference Scores Week 3

Catholic Memorial 50  Vernon 5
Vernon senior flyhalf Lexi Prusheik scored for the Harlequins, while Catholic Memorial junior Kelsey Gustafon and sophomore Niina Sjogren added tries in the winning effort.

Kettle Moraine 33 Oak Creek 12 (non-conference)
The Knightmares won despite senior Cpt Libby Shuebert's absence.  Lindsey Hilmer scored three tries and Courtney Crouse added two more.  Morgan Saenz kicked 5 of 6 conversions for KM.

DSHA 55  Brookfield 0
The play of the match might have been senior Taylor Bragg-Brock's 70 meter scamper for a try.  Any time a front row player breaks repeated tackle attempts, outruns players, and scores a long try it's memorable.

Fond du Lac 50   Appleton 0
The battle of the north went to the Sirens. Alaina Passarella and Adriana Ramirez scored multiple tries for the sirens, while Kristina Moul continued her note able goalkicking display.  Strong support play, both defensively and offensively from Emma Conrad and Brittany Witty helped make everything work for the Sirens.

Reports continue to note that Appleton's hooker, Jacqueline Helmeid, played an outstanding match in the losing effort.  Her tackling has been noticed by coaching dating back to last spring as well.

Conference Standings
Classic Five
Catholic Memorial    2-0   (3-0 overall)
DS jv                        2-0   (3-0 overall)
Muskego                   0-1   (0-2 overall)
Kettle Moraine          0-1   (1-2 overall)
Vernon                      0-2    

North-South Conference
DSHA                       2-0  (3-0 overall)
Fond Du Lac            1-0  (2-0 overall)

Brookfield                 1-1
Oak Creek                0-1  (0-3 overall)
Appleton                   0-2

WGR Conference Week 2 Preview

The North South Conference @Appleton

Saturday Sept 20th
10am  Appleton v Fond Du Lac    The Battle of the North.  Game of the week!
     It's a big day for both teams.  Hosting their first conference match in team history, Appleton also hosts their conference's matches in a day-long celebration of the girls game.  In an effort to spread the game up north, all the programs in their conference have agreed to play matches up there for the benefit of parents, potential players, and referees in the area.  Thank you to all the families involved in helping grow the game outside of Milwaukee!
    As for the match, Fond Du Lac might have an edge in athleticism but it's anyone's guess how many athletes Appleton picked up with another week and a home match, plus their physical play combined with more game experience should make a difference.

11:15am  DSHA v Brookfield
     While Brookfield can score points, it's their defense that coaches will be focused on this week.  Trying to stay with the Dasher's team skill will be a challenge for anyone.

12:30pm  DSjv  v Muskego
     A rematch of the opening non-conference match two weeks ago, this time both teams play for conference standings.  Without the open sub rules of the pre-season, this should help Muskego to not be overwhelmed by DSHA's numbers.

The Classic Five Conference  @Naga-Waukee Park
10am  Catholic Memorial v Vernon
     This has the makings of a real good game.  The young Crusaders and a tough Vernon side.  The matchups in this game cause real problems for both sides.  It could be another high-scoring affair, as each team has questions being asked of their bench.  Can either team develop subs for fresh legs or a tactical lift to give them an edge?

11:30  Kettle Moraine v Oak Creek (non-conference cross-over match)
This should be an excellent matchup for both teams since both programs are in similar positions.  KM has a few more vets, note-ably their senior core, while Oak Creek has some "young vets"  Oak Creek has several dynamic young backs, while KM has some young dynamic pack players emerging.  It could be a high scoring game, with matchups that lend themselves to big advantages for each team in different areas of the pitch.  Will the rugby adage hold true that "forwards determine if you win or lose; backs determine by how much"?

WGR Alumnae Playing for Wisc. Colleges

Last Saturday, the University of Wisconsin women's rugby team hosted the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's women's collegiate team.  It featured the two division one teams in the state.  It also featured a slew of WGR alumni, and most notably it included perhaps the most WGR alumni on one collegiate pitch in state history, not including selectside matches.

Could this be a sign of more to come?   Several years ago, UWM women made a run at the national collegiate playoffs, and had a lot of WGR alumni in their side.  But this match was different, in that it featured many alumni on both sides of the ball.

One factor in the large number could be the growing stability of the Madison program under Coach Jessica Burda.  In the past, WGR alumni were not recruited or excited to play at the big W.  The reasons were debatable.  Whatever the reasons, that appears to be changing.

The players we noticed suiting up for UW were:
Meghan Aprahamian, Vernon
Liz Bellis #1, freshman from Catholic Memorial High School
Erin Kautz, junior,  from Catholic Memorial High School
Taylor Rozman #9, junior,   from Kettle Moraine High School. 
Kali Shulte, Muskego
Karis and Cheyenne Quant-Walle, Fond Du Lac

The players we noticed suiting up for UW-Milwaukee were:
Mary Biedlingmeier  freshman,  from Catholic Memorial High School
Danielle Dunn, sophomore, from Vernon
Samantha Dunn, sophomore,  from Vernon
Sara Glomski, Menomonee Falls
Erika Winter, Menomonee Falls

We also thought we saw Sam Bruni  from Vernon suiting up for Milwaukee, but we could've been totally mistaken.

Now, there could have been more that escaped our view, but that's a good number of the players out there having significant high school experience and most, if not all, appear to be back next year.  They are all starters at the division one collegiate level.

And for those of you wondering, Madison won 41-12.