The ladies were competing in the LSWC Playoffs, meaning that they finished 5th in their conference out of 7 clubs. They would play against Texas St. for the outright claim of 5th place. This was a rematch of last weeks thrilling match between the 2 clubs.
Last week, your UT Dallas Women beat Texas St. Women 34 to 10. And before I go the yesterday, I need to explain last week. Last week in the finale of league play, both clubs were ready to play on a beautiful fall afternoon. The first half had Texas St, winning 10 to 7, but it was the second half that was all UT Dallas. The ladies put together the best game of the season when it counted and they needed it.
The Line up:
1. Kaitlyn, 2. Camille, 3. Kalena, 4. Rubab, 5. Sarah, 9. Vic, 10. Mel, 11.Kelly, 12. Kayla, 13. Natalie
The second half was a thing of beauty, the ladies played a well timed and deliberate game of rugby. At on point in this half, UTD had a scrum inside our 22m line, but Mel saw something and attacked the weak side. Vic heard her calls and got the ball to her. Off she went, when she was tackled, Mel off loaded to Kalena, who ran with the ball and when she got tackled. She off loaded to Camille, Camille then off loaded to Kaitlyn, who then off loaded to Sarah, who then off loaded to Rubab. The bottom line is that the ball was moved from inside our 22m line to inside the Texas St. 22m line. But more important, that possession was touched by 6 different ladies on their way to a convincing victory.
Ladies scoring Trys Mel (3 Trys, 2 conversions), Kayla (1 Try), scoring their first Trys ever Kelly and Kaitlyn. It was a very good showing byt the Lady Comets in last weeks game.
As far as the game yesterday, I have to wait for the report from Jonathan. As soon as I get that and watch the video I'll post those results on the web site.
The Men of UT Dallas traveled to Stephenville for their match against the up and coming Tarleton St. Texans Rugby Club. Due to some strange things between their Rec Sports and their Rugby Club, our match was moved up to 1:30. It was a great to see all the players there getting ready to play a tough match.
I found out that only 2 of the 25 players committed to making the game, did not travel. With that being said, we were committed to playing the game with the players we had.
The Line up:
1. Brandon, 2. Will, 3. Ryan, 4. Conner, 5. Alex, 6. Andrew P. 7. Caleb, 8. Daniel, 9. Nick P. 10. Edmund, 11. Eric, 12. Chase, 13. Steven L. 14. Clint, 15. Zack
Reserves, Manny, Seth, Colemen, Talhah, Jarvis, Yahve, John B. Isaac, Michael Y, Jarvis
The match kicked off on time and everything was on, both sides were competing for that small patch of real estate called a rugby field. We played a competitive match against a bigger club, it was something we tried to break away from, but we just couldn't get over that.
We were able to get 7 points on the board, thanks to a gap Edmund saw in the Tarleton St defense, so Edmund exploited that gap and put 5 points on the board. He then converted his own try to only be 14 points down at that point in the game. But some mental breakdowns occurred on the field and in the final 10 minutes of the first half and Tarleton was able to put another 7 points on the board. The end of the first half UTD 7 and Tarleton 28.
The second half was all Tarleton, but there were brief moments of UTD flashes, but like lightning, it was that quick and gone. In this half Tarleton St. put another 4 Trys on the board, in this half we also used it as a learning experience to get all those reserves playing time so they might learn for the future.
The game ended Tarleton St. 61, UT Dallas 7. From this point, we have no more games in 2016, we sit back, continue to work on our conditioning and maybe get the guys and girls to go out and practice with the local men or women's club near their home.
In our past, we usually have a fall banquet to have fun and put this part of the season behind us, but this year due to the time of year. Thanksgiving is next week, and the following week they're all involved in final exams and I'll be getting a new knee, there will not be a fall banquet this year.
So Happy Thanksgiving to one and all and I'll be posting more in the near future.