A Celebration of Life is planned for 4:00 PM on Sunday, April 15th at the home of Nise & Karla (4304 Athens Street, San Diego, CA 92115).  Please RSVP via Facebook, or contact the Surfers.

In the interest of improving visibility of rugby in San Diego, the tournament will also showcase a U-14 Sevens exhibition match on Saturday between Fallbrook and San Diego girls teams.  Looking forward to an awesome weekend of rugby at the Olympic Training Center!

The second half started similarly with the Surfers catching a second wind and pounding their way to Santa Monica’s 10 meter line. Off a lineout, the Surfers mauled their way to the try zone and Nicole Badic eventually placed down a score in the 50th minute. However, as fatigue set in, the Surfers were unable to stop the strong and quick backline of Santa Monica. At the final whistle, the score ended 35 – 12 in favor of Santa Monica.

Surfer Scores:
Minute 4 – Hanna Lopez
Minute 15 – Becca Williams
Minute 28 – Hanna Lopez, Nicole Buoy-Badics Conversion
Minute 45 – Becca Williams
Minute 50 – Tammy Duggan-Herd
Minute 55 – Edith Moreno, Nicole Buoy-Badics Conversion
Minute 75 – Diana Henderson

The Surfers’ finally got on the board when the backline found a gap between the New York centers and passed the ball wide to winger Val Griffeth, who was tackled just short of the goal line. Flanker Julia Anderson picked the ball off of the ensuing ruck and muscled her way into the try zone to put the Surfers up by 5.

New York answered back almost immediately when center Rebecca Braffman dumped a pass inside to inserting fullback Vaneesha McGee just feet from the sideline. McGee darted in untouched to tie the game 5 – 5 before the end of the half.

The Surfers’ extended their lead in the second half when a dropped New York pass was scooped off the deck and into the arms of lock Emily Ogata, who burst in for a try.

Minutes later, Griffeth got an opportunity to avenge the thwarting of her first half breakaway when the Surfers exploited an overload in the backs and put her in the open on the right sideline. Griffeth sprinted fifty meters to put the Surfers up 15 – 5.  San Diego prop Jenny Chow brought a burst of energy to the Surfers the latter part of the second half, deflecting defenders and scoring back to back tries. Griffeth and outside center Emilie Bydwell added one try apiece in the final minutes of the half and center Kirstin Hartos converted one.

New York had several promising forward drives and breakaways from McGee and their speedy back three, but they were unable to get back into the try zone. The Surfers came away with the 37 – 5 win.

Both teams were 2-0 going into the weekend, but it’s safe to say that their success thus far was a surprise to everyone; the Amazons have traditionally shared a spotlight with their crosstown rivals, and the Surfers (who?) are competing for the first time in WPL after moving up this year from Division I.  It looked like it was going to be a long morning for the Surfers when Amazon lock Stacy Bridges got a breakaway just minutes after the match kicked-off.  San Diego 8-Man Emily Ogata was able to chase her down short of the try zone, but the Amazons took advantage of their field position.  An 8-Man pick followed by two quick forward punches created enough space for Amazon flanker Morgan Johnson to dive in the first five points of the game.

Amazons 5, Surfers 0

The Amazons continued to dominate the Surfers early in the match with quick crashes around the fringes of the ruck that kept the San Diego defense on their back foot and scrambling to realign.  Around minute eleven, inside center Sylvia Braaten broke a tackle and put the Amazons up by ten.

Amazons 10, Surfers 0

The Surfers were finally able to gain some momentum when a series of penalties by the ‘Zons allowed prop Jillian Duggan to quick tap the Surfers into an attacking position.  Another penalty play near the goal line followed by quick ball movement through the backline gave winger Casey Fields a chance to turn the corner and put the Surfers on the board.

Amazons 10, Surfers 5

The Amazons continued to challenge the Surfers’ defense with a relentless forward attack and quick field switches by the backline.  However, the Amazons struggled with penalties, and the Surfers were given another opportunity to run a penalty play near the Twin City try zone.  San Diego crashed weak, the ball spun out to the backs, and Surfers prop Kate Rohr received a pass off the flyhalf’s inside hip to tear her way into the try zone to ties the game.  Center Kirstin Hartos converted to put the Surfers up by two at the end of the half.

Amazons 10, Surfers 12

The Surfers tried to slow down the game in the second half, prying the ball out of Duggan’s hands after ‘Zon penalties and kicking for real estate, but the Amazons were still able to work their way back into Surfer territory.  San Diego stuffed a Twin Cities crash after a lineout to foil one scoring attempt, but the Amazons kept the ball alive and dished immediately to Braaten who dove in her second try of the game.  Flyhalf Rebecca Radtke’s conversion kick was good.

Amazons 17, Surfers 12

The Surfers answered with a long offensive possession dominated by forward play that ended with backs switching the field and spinning the ball to inserting fullback Mandy Wilson who darted in for the tying try.

Amazons 17, Surfers 17

As the minutes ticked down in the last quarter of the game, Surfer flyhalf Marea Blue received a pass off of the lineout, squeezed through a half gap in the Amazon backline and slid in for a try.

Amazons 17, Surfers 23

The Amazons were unable to find the try zone in the final minutes and the San Diego Surfers came away with the win.  The Surfers and the ‘Zons meet again next weekend for a rematch in Minnesota.

As the fog loomed overhead Sunday morning before their home opener against the Minnesota Valkyries, and gophers poked their heads out of the rolling hills of Robb Field the Surfers realized they might need to try a different approach.

Outside center Emilie Bydwell put the first points on the board three minutes into the match with a try in the right corner following a stolen Minnesota lineout.  The Beantown import scored five more times in what turned out to be an 81-7 San Diego victory.

The Surfer win was truly a team effort, with dominance from the pack in rucks and set pieces allowing plenty of room for the backs to spin it wide or find holes in the Valkyrie line.  Both backs and forwards supported well, and many of the San Diego scores touched several hands before making it to the try zone.

Minnesota prop Jen Triemstra dove in a try after series of San Diego penalties to end the first half, but despite some threatening breakaways, the Valkyries were unable to score again.

The Valkyries side did feature some strong players, but they were only able to travel with fifteen and it didn’t seem like they were all in their usual positions.  There were strong performances from hard running and hard hitting 8-Man Lauren Daily and fullback Tracy Call, who disrupted many would-be Surfer tries.

Tries
Bydwell – 6
Lear – 2
Fields – 2
Ogata – 1
Nocero – 1
Anderson – 1
Triemstra – 1

Conversions
Hartos – 8
Berg – 1

Lebron who?  The only “Decision” of interest this week involved San Diego’s uniform color: surely the Surfers’ jerseys would be skintight and unflattering on everyone but the wings, but would they be white or blue?

Brett Favre?  Flanker Leanna Corpus also threatened to retire this year, has been excelling at her sport for just as many decades, and undoubtedly has juicier sexting exploits to uncover.

Will fan backlash from winger Val “Bieber” Griffeth’s brazen choice to chop her thick, cascading bangs just days before the tournament affect her performance?

Has the presence of scrumhalf Kate “Philberto” Henne’s personal fitness trainer at practices caused tension in the locker room?

Is prop Jillian Duggan-Herd’s refusal to stop performing “Sandstorm” despite reported shin splints in violation of the reckless behavior clause in her contract?

Fortunately the Surfers managed to shade their eyes from the blinding beam of the paparazzi flash and focus on the task at hand: winning a second national championship in the popular vacation destination of Mesa, Arizona.

The Surfers’ first stop was a semi-finals match on Friday against league rivals, the Seattle Breakers.  Seattle caused trouble for the Surfers in the first half, applying pressure on the hinge between the forwards and backs and keeping San Diego’s offense caught up in a scrumhalf-flyhalf tea party.  San Diego fullback Mandy Wilson was finally able to scoop up one of the shoddy passes that dribbled out her way and dart through the line to put the Surfers up 7 – 0.  The Breakers tied the game just before the half came to a close.

San Diego’s pack did an incredible job of containing the Breakers’ forwards around the ruck, and in the second half, the Surfers’ backs were able to take advantage of the extra space this afforded them.  In other words, the pack worked really hard to get a sentence of credit
as a unit in the write-up; now the reporter will devote the remaining paragraphs to the individual backs who rode into the try zone on their shoulders: the weekend’s feisty MVP, winger Val Griffeth, and Wilson added two thrilling breakaway scores, and center Daralisa Cheung
kicked a conversion and a penalty to seal the 20 – 7 win. Go backs!

After a day of rest, icing, and the meticulous recording of transgressions for which to “fine” each other, the Surfers met the Atlanta Harlequins in the finals.

Both teams attempted to grind it out early on by kicking often for optimal field position; the frequent changes of possession caused by the NASA rocket boots of Harlequins flyhalf Heather Hale and Surfers center Kirstin Hartos (with the occasional effort from the bottle rocket boot of SD ten Marea Blue), may have made fans feel like they were watching a ping pong match instead of a rugby game.

Like Seattle, Atlanta presented a tough defensive front from the very beginning of the match, and pressure from their loose forwards made it difficult for San Diego to transfer the ball down the line to their outside backs.

The Surfers finally put the first points on the board when Daralisa Cheung (precision missile boot) nailed a kick following an Atlanta penalty.  Atlanta tried to answer twice with penalty attempts of their own, but uncharacteristically failed to put the ball between the posts.  San Diego widened its lead to 8 – 0 a few minutes later when a series of forward punches sucked in Atlanta’s defense and allowed the backs to work it wide to #1 fantasy fullback draft pick Wilson for a corner score.

Atlanta retaliated soon after with an 8-Man pick and a dish to their fullback zipping through the line, bringing the score to 8 – 5. In the final minutes of the half, the Harlequins exploited an overload on the outside for another try.  The kick was successfully converted and the half ended with a 12 – 8 score and Atlanta in command of both the lead and the momentum.

Starting a game out strong, then slipping into a complacent coma for twenty minutes or so before rallying for a late game revival was a curious “strategy” utilized by San Diego in many of their games this year; despite the lack of encouragement from either of their coaches, they remained faithful to this tactic until the bitter end.  The Surfers entered the second half against Atlanta pumped up following their usual midgame lull, but Atlanta came back equally hungry for the win.

The Surfers spent much of the second half on defense, working to keep the Harlequins off their side of the pitch.  San Diego finally regained the lead when flanker Leanna Corpus picked the ball out of the back of a ruck and dove in a try with just fifteen minutes remaining in the game.  Daralisa Cheung booted another penalty kick a few minutes later to give the Surfers a four point cushion with a 16 – 12 lead.

Several impressive defensive efforts by the Surfers late in the game, particularly a key lineout steal by lock Audrey “Sunshine” Johnson within San Diego’s twenty-two, kept Atlanta’s aggressive attack just short of the goal line time and time again as the clock ticked down.

Sometimes in the final minutes of close rugby games, you realize that there is not enough time for your opponent to overcome your lead, and you have a very special, “Holy crap, we’re going to win this” moment. There was no such moment during the game against Atlanta.  A few key
Harlequin mistakes – a forward pass on a breakaway just feet from the try zone, another missed penalty kick – made the difference for Atlanta, who otherwise played an incredible match.  Literally until the final seconds of the game, when a Harlequin forward running a hard
line through the Surfers’ defense knocked on what would have been the game winning try, it was anybody’s championship.

But this time, for the second year in a row, when the final whistle blew, it was Surfers’ championship.  And close or not, they’re going to wear their medals at inappropriate times and tell you about it. Ocho Cinco?  None of the Surfers wear gold cleats, but they actually play for a winning team, and they’re just as happy to pose for a photo op, if any members of the sports media are still lingering around San Diego.

A huge thanks to the fans who supported us this year, as well as to the other teams from our region who cheered for us at the playoffs and finals!  West Coast!  Best Coast!

(USA Rugby is keeping with its climate-themed Nationals again this year – the “Wet and Wild” championship series of 2009 was hosted in rainy Boston and San Francisco; this fall’s “Dry and Dirty” event is being fought in Austin and Mesa, Arizona).

San Diego’s regular season schedule earned them a bye on the first day of the tournament, and they took the field Sunday against a very physical Glendale side that was one game more tired, but also one game more competition ready.

Both teams entered the match with a great deal of intensity.  The resulting game pace led to numerous turnovers and big ground gaining plays on both sides of the ball, and possession and field position changed quickly early in the half.  The Surfers were the first to capitalize when a Raptors’ penalty in San Diego territory gave outside center Daralisa Cheung a field goal opportunity that put the Surfers up by 3.

Glendale evened the score soon after with a kick of their own following a San Diego offsides penalty.

In one of his more famous speeches at practice last week, coach Richie Walker reminded the Surfers that if God wanted them to pass the ball to each other’s feet, He would have made them with their hands lower on their bodies.  Those skeptical Surfer heathens decided to test his
claim, heaving no-look passes of varying heights that resulted in more costly turnovers as the gridlocked game progressed.

Still, the passes that took the holy route got transferred down the line quickly, and when the Surfers began to swing the ball wide immediately from the breakdown, Glendale found themselves overmatched on the outside.

Fullback Mandy Wilson twice found herself with space enough to score (and she needs so little space), and winger Casey Fields turned the corner and broke several tackles within minutes of her second half entry to add a try of her own.  Fields’s effort to was reportedly one part desire for victory and one part extreme fear of a Texas thistle growing on the pitch that once caused her skin irritation.

Cheung, who can credit her agnostic flyhalf’s skip passes for all the extra practice she gets with the ball around her feet, added two more penalty kicks and a conversion.

The Raptors put themselves into scoring position several times throughout the match with effective poaching and well-placed kicks into unattended Surfer territory, but they were unable to convert these opportunities into tries.  The San Diego pack played a huge role in the Surfers’ many successful defensive stands. Forward-of-the-Match Michelle “Sully” Sullivan in particular dealt some smothering weak side D, squelching a Glendale 8-man pick that is usually very difficult to stop.  Hooker Becca Williams and the Surfers’ tight five added further disruption, challenging Glendale’s scrum with a strong drive and getting a foot on many of their put-ins. The Surfers kept the Raptors scoreless in the second half and the game ended with a 26 – 3 San Diego win.

The Surfers load their dune buggies and head next to Mesa, Arizona to defend their title in the USA Rugby D1 National Championships.  They will face league rivals the Seattle Breakers in the semi-finals on Friday, November 12.  The Atlanta Harlequins and Chicago North Shore compete in the other semi-final match.  The championship match will be played on Sunday, November 14.

Dear USA Rugby,

Please have medals ready at the event for the team that wins the National Championship this year, whatever team that may be.  An unofficial poll confirms that all four teams in the tournament would prefer to celebrate a glorious victory while wearing engraved hardware.

Love,

The San Diego Surfers

The Surfers began taking deep, cleansing breaths and finding their rhythm when a penalty kick from center Daralisa Cheung split the uprights to put the first points on the board.  Fullback Mandy Wilson, whose long, shifty returns through entire teams of defenders suggest that she is actually fueled by frantic energy, followed up with a juking try shortly after.  Cheung converted and the first half ended with the Surfers ahead 10 – 0.

San Diego kept the pressure on the Landsharks in the second half, kicking for real estate and forcing them to play from behind on their end of the pitch. Unfortunately, their kicks were countered by a talented Belmont backline that reversed the field and often found themselves running unopposed as San Diego defenders scrambled to recover.  San Diego caught a few lucky breaks when these counters ended in knock-ons, forward passes or heroic defensive efforts by the Surfer wing unlucky enough to be caught in the five on one, and Belmont was unable to capitalize.

The Surfers widened their lead when Man-of-the-Match Kirstin “Kiki” Hartos, using her unique combination of quickness and hugeness, drew defenders into her orbit before distributing the ball wide to the money makers.  Liz Strohecker turned the corner twice for scores, and the threat on the outside allowed flyhalf Marea Blue to take a slower, more direct route up the middle to add one of her own.

The Surfers’ pack performed well in set pieces, stealing several lineouts and pressuring the flyhalf off the scrum, stifling Belmont’s ability to challenge San Diego’s lead.  Belmont’s fullback inserted in the backline and slipped through a gap for a try midway through the second half, but the Surfers took home the 27 – 7 victory.

The Surfer win over Belmont clinches San Diego’s spot as the top seed going into the very spooky USA Rugby Division 1 National Playoffs in Austin, Texas over Halloween weekend.

If you are an avid Surfers fan, and I’m just assuming you are, you are likely stressed that there is no game this weekend.  “What am I going to do with myself!?” you are wondering.  “Watch the Chargers continue their rapid descent from mediocre into awful?!” Fear not! The Surfers are hosting “Pitch to Pub: A Local Beer Appreciation” at The Local downtown on Saturday from 4 – 6. Come drink some delicious beer and support the Surfers on their road to nationals. More details in the post below.