Author: epruadmin

After a handful of open training sessions throughout the spring season the EPRU Women’s 15s team took on the New York Rugby Club Developmental Side over Memorial Day Weekend. The match was a great opportunity for the players and it also included the opportunity to see New York’s Women’s Premier League side take on Portland as part of their Friends and Family weekend.

The team was well-prepared for the match thanks to Head Coach Kristin Aliberto (Philly RFC Coach/New York WPL Player) and a group of guest coaches/training attendees from throughout the spring that included Chris Ward (Blackthorn), Josie Ziluca (Atlantis/USA Eagles U20), and Jon Grasso (Philadelphia United). Bringing different perspectives together helped all of the players, regardless of position or experience level, get helpful insight and individual feedback to aid with their development. The on-field leaders, Co-Captains Maddie Groninger and JD Rivera, were also crucial to the team’s success.

Ro Drumgoole started off the scoring in the early-going with a try in the 9^th minute that was converted by Katie Walston and quickly followed up by a try from Taylor Wuerker in the 11^th minute that was also converted. Maddie Groninger added a try midway through the first half and then the EPRU finished the opening period on an incredibly strong note with tries from Katie Walston, Morgan Mattia, and Lauren Shissler – with two conversions from Shissler – in the 35^th, 38^th, and 40^th minute respectively.

Obviously it was great heading into halftime with a 38-0 advantage on the scoreboard but the players worked too hard to prepare for this match in order to have a letdown from there and were able to open the second half with tries from JD Rivera and Gianna Calciano within the first 10 minutes. From there New York had a 20 minute period of excellent rugby that included tries from (assuming the jersey numbers matched the posted roster) Kiersten Oteyza, and Olivia Schmelzel (x2) at the 55, 65, and 72 minute mark. The EPRU wasn’t quite finished though and Kayla Coan was able to add a try in the 73^rd minute to bring the match to its 57-15 final score.

It was great to see this program come together for such a successful performance on the field and it was even better to see how that success was due to contributions from all over the field and from all over the Union. For the 2021-2022 competition cycle the EPRU had 10 Women’s Club programs and 8 of them were represented in this side, additionally we had 9 different try scorers in this match so the contributions really were spread out. It should also be noted that Gabby Wood generously agreed to play for NYRC during the second half of the game so that they could keep their WPL roster set and that Gabby played a great match for both sides.

Some other interesting notes: this match was actually the first time that Morgan Mattia had ever played 15s. Morgan is currently with East Stroudsburg University who focused primarily on 7s this year. It should also be noted that Morgan’s second ever 15s match was the Mid-Atlantic Women’s Rugby Showcase U23 All-Star match. If anyone is aware of another player whose first two career 15s matches were both select-side/all-stars please let us know!

Joining Morgan in the Mid-Atlantic U23 match were Kayla Coan and Gianna Calciano so we are thrilled to see that three of our players were immediately selected for follow-up all-star play after participating in this match. Keara McMinn also participated in the U23 and would have played for the EPRU against New York but had military commitments as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the Pennsylvania National Guard.

Following the match we caught up with Co-Captain Maddie Groninger who told us the following “I was so proud to play on this team. I played select side in my younger years and it always proved to be a massive learning opportunity and forged new friendships – this time around was no different. We came from different teams, having virtually no experience together, all with different playing/learning stles, and ended up pulling off a major win and playing FUN rugby! I will continue to wear my #2 EPRU jersey with pride over what we accomplished.”

We also heard from Gianna Calciano, a rising senior at Loyola, who said “In the backline, our flyhalf Katie and fullback Olivia stepped up big and were leaders on the pitch (especially to us younger folks like Morgan and myself). I couldn’t thank them enough for their constant communication, words of wisdom, and motivation. I didn’t spend much time with the forwards but Ro had a lot of line breaks. The captain/hooker Maddie was a great communicator and stayed calm and composed throughout the match.”

Nothing makes us happier than to see a successful and happy team on and off the field. Great work everyone!

Here is our roster from the match. Note that Erica Marley (Brandywine) was unavailable due to injury and Keara McMinn, as stated previously, had a military commitment. Becca Silver was also unavailable due to a prior commitment but her work on the EPRU Board helping to set up the program from the summer of 2021 onwards was invaluable as was her leadership at the training sessions.

1. Eda Akpek (Philadelphia
2. Maddie Groninger (Doylestown)
3. Kirby Gordon (Reading Valley)
4. Karen Hall (Phoenixville)
5. Lorraine Avery-Easterwood (Wilmington)
6. Gabby Wood (Philadelphia)
7. Ro Drumgoole (Philadelphia)
8. Kimberly Spiegel (Harrisburg)
9. Taylor Wuerker (Philadelphia)
10. Katie Walston (Doylestown)
11. Gianna Calciano (Loyola University)
12. Kayla Coan (Northeast Philadelphia)
13. JD Rivera (Philadelphia)
14. Morgan Mattia (East Stroudsburg University)
15. Olivia Rasp (Philadelphia)
16. Madison Werts (Northeast Philadelphia)
17. Erika Hertel (Doylestown)
18. Lauren Shissler (Harrisburg)
19. Elizabeth Clark (Gettysburg University)
20. Nikki Fairman (Doylestown)

Stats:

Tries: Ro Drumgoole, Taylor Wuerker, Maddie Groninger, Katie Walston, Morgan Mattia, Lauren Shissler, JD Rivera, Gianna Calciano, Kayla Coan

Conversions: Katie Walston (4), Lauren Shissler (2)

As a reminder our system is borrowed from TOLA and if this is your first time seeing it then it might be beneficial to read our more in-depth explanation here (Introducing the EPRU Club 7s Championship – EPRU). We will be updating the standings on a weekly basis and awarding EPRU Championships for Men and Women on July 9 at Cheesesteak 7s.

Scoring System:
6 points for winning
4 for second
3 for third
2 for fourth
1 for winning consolation/open
1 for attending

Standings heading into Cheesesteak 7s:Men:
21 Points – Schuylkill River
12 Points – Molly Maguires
11 Points – Reading
9 Points – Golden Roses
6 Points – Harrisburg
4 Points – Lehigh Valley, MontBucks, Phoenixville
3 Points – Blackthorn, Gryphons, Old Gaelic
2 Points – Media, Northeast, South Jersey, Lancaster Roses
1 Point – Wilmington, Happy Valley

Women:
17 Points – Philadelphia
14 Points – Harrisburg
10 Points – Doylestown, Phoenixville
6 Points – South Jersey
3 Points – Northeast Philly, Brandywine,
2 Points – Lehigh Valley
1 Point – Wilmington, Reading, Thorns

Men’s results from Cheesesteak 7s:

1. Reading
2. Media
3. Molly Maguires
4. Brandywine

Attendees: Harrisburg, Lehigh Valley, MontBucks, Northeast, Wilmington, Phoenixville, South Jersey, Gryphons, Lancaster Roses

First and second were straightforward as Reading defeated Media in the championship match. In order to decide third and fourth we looked at each team’s performance throughout the day. Brandywine went 2-1 in pool play with a +56 differential while Molly Mags also went 2-1 and have a +37 differential so Brandywine had the edge there but in the knockout rounds Brandywine had a 2 point win followed by a 43 point loss to put them at 3-2 on the day with a +15 point differential while the Molly Maguires had a 12 point win followed by a 14 point loss to put them at 3-2 on the day with a +35 point differential. This was enough of a swing for Molly Maguires to be awarded third place on the day.

 

Women’s results from Cheesesteak 7s:

1. Doylestown
2. Philly RFC
3. South Jersey
4. Brandywine

Attendees: Northeast, Wilmington, Thorns, Lehigh Valley

 

Again, first and second were easy to sort out as Doylestown beat Philly in the championship match. From there we compare the results for South Jersey and Brandywine and see that South Jersey finished the day with a 2-1 record and a +35 point differential while Brandywine finished the day 1-2 with a +16 point differential. As South Jersey had both a better record and a better differential they get the points.

Final Standings for the inaugural EPRU 7s Circuit:

Men:
21 Points – Schuylkill River

18 Points – Reading
16 Points – Molly Maguires
9 Points – Golden Roses

8 Points – Media
7 Points – Harrisburg

5 Points – Lehigh Valley, MontBucks, Phoenixville
4 Points – Gryphons
3 Points – Blackthorn, Old Gaelic, Brandywine, Northeast, South Jersey, Lancaster Roses
2 Points – Wilmington
1 Point – Happy Valley

Women:
22 Points – Philadelphia

17 Points – Doylestown
14 Points – Harrisburg
10 Points – South Jersey, Phoenixville

6 Points – Brandywine
4 Points – Northeast Philly,

3 Points – Lehigh Valley
2 Points – Wilmington, Thorns
1 Point – Reading

As a reminder our system is borrowed from TOLA and if this is your first time seeing it then it might be beneficial to read our more in-depth explanation here (Introducing the EPRU Club 7s Championship – EPRU). We will be updating the standings on a weekly basis and awarding EPRU Championships for Men and Women on July 9 at Cheesesteak 7s.

Scoring System:
6 points for winning
4 for second
3 for third
2 for fourth
1 for winning consolation/open
1 for attending

Women’s Standings coming into Harrisburg:
12 Points – Philadelphia
7 Points – Harrisburg, Phoenixville
6 Points – Doylestown
5 Points – South Jersey
3 Points – Northeast Philly
2 Points – Brandywine
1 Point – Wilmington, Thorns, Lehigh Valley

Men’s Standings coming into Harrisburg:
14 Points – Schuylkill River
8 Points – Reading, Molly Maguires, Golden Roses
3 Points – MontBucks, Phoenixville
2 Points – Blackthorn, Gryphons, Media, Northeast, Old Gaelic, Lehigh Valley
1 Point – Harrisburg, South Jersey, Lancaster Roses, Wilmington

Men’s Results from Harrisburg:
1. Schuylkill River
2. Harrisburg
3. Molly Maguires
4. Reading
Consolation: Lehigh Valley

First and second were straightforward as Schuylkill beat Harrisburg for the title so they take the points for first and second respectively. In the consolation bracket the winner was Seven Cities but they are not an EPRU club so the team they beat, Lehigh Valley, slides over into that spot.

For third and fourth we are following the same process as in previous weeks where we look at both pool play and the knockout rounds. Molly Maguires went 3-0 in pool play with a point differential of +112 while Reading went 2-1 with a point differential of +59. In the knockout rounds Reading won their quarterfinal match by 14 points to put them at +73 before losing in the semifinals by 21 leaving them with a 3-2 record in the day and a point differential of +52.

However, things get a little tricky here as Molly Maguires actually earned a bye to the semifinals because of their strong performance in pool play and it certainly shouldn’t be held against them that they didn’t have an additional match to boost their differential. This is something we’re going to keep in mind when we discuss the women’s division next as it’ll be more relevant then.

In the Molly Maguires’ semifinal match they lost by 7 points to finish the day with a 3-1 record and a point differential of +105. When you take a complete view of this tournament the Molly Maguires had a stronger overall performance than Reading and deserve third place due to a better overall record and better point differential no matter how you look at the fact that Reading had an extra match.

Women’s Results from Harrisburg:
1. Harrisburg
2. Philadelphia
3. Doylestown
4. Phoenixville

First and second were straightforward as Harrisburg defeated Philly RFC in the finals. Additionally, there was no consolation bracket for the women so nothing to calculate on that front. As stated previously, determining third and fourth place requires a close look at the results and this time around it was an incredibly narrow margin.

In pool play Phoenixville went 2-0 with a +36 point differential while Doylestown also went 2-0 and had a point differential of +52. Things get really tricky in the knockout rounds where Phoenixville had an excellent performance in their first match with a 36-0 victory. However, Doylestown received a bye in this round and you really can’t penalize a team for the fact that their pool play performance was strong enough to earn a bye.

When we look at the next round it certainly doesn’t get any easier. Doylestown took on South Jersey while two Phoenixville sides were matched up against each other. We simply are not going to consider this round either because otherwise we would risk creating a scenario where we are incentivizing a club’s second side to tank a match to their first side and allow them to jog in 80 points. NOTE! We are NOT saying that is what happened here but we are just making sure we do not open the door for it.

Finally, we get to the semifinal matches where Phoenixville lost by 5 and Doylestown lost by 12. When you combine those results with the pool play results you get a final point differential of +31 for Phoenixville and +40 for Doylestown. Even if we were to have decided that the knockout rounds count for double (Phoenixville having 10 points subtracted instead of 5 and Doylestown have 24 points subtracted instead of 12) Phoenixville would have finished +26 with Doylestown finishing +28 so by a razor-thin margin Doylestown takes third place.

Overall Standings:
Men:
21 Points – Schuylkill River
12 Points – Molly Maguires
11 Points – Reading
9 Points – Golden Roses
6 Points – Harrisburg
4 Points – Lehigh Valley, MontBucks, Phoenixville
3 Points – Blackthorn, Gryphons, Old Gaelic
2 Points – Media, Northeast, South Jersey, Lancaster Roses
1 Point – Wilmington, Happy Valley

Women:
17 Points – Philadelphia
14 Points – Harrisburg
10 Points – Doylestown, Phoenixville
6 Points – South Jersey
3 Points – Northeast Philly, Brandywine,
2 Points – Lehigh Valley
1 Point – Wilmington, Reading, Thorns

As a reminder our system is borrowed from TOLA and if this is your first time seeing it then it might be beneficial to read our more in-depth explanation here (Introducing the EPRU Club 7s Championship – EPRU). We will be updating the standings on a weekly basis and awarding EPRU Championships for Men and Women on July 9 at Cheesesteak 7s.

Scoring System:
6 points for winning
4 for second
3 for third
2 for fourth
1 for winning consolation/open
1 for attending

Women’s Standings coming into Lehigh Valley:
7 Points – Phoenixville
5 Points – Philly
4 Points – Harrisburg
3 Points – Northeast Philly
1 Point – South Jersey, Brandywine, Doylestown

Men’s Standings coming into Lehigh Valley:
7 Points – Schuylkill River
5 Points – Reading
4 Points – Molly Maguires
3 Points – Golden Roses
2 Points – Montgomery Bucks
1 Point – Phoenixville, Blackthorn, Gryphons, Media, Northeast, Old Gaelic, Wilmington, Lehigh Valley

Women’s Results from Lehigh Valley:

1. Philly

2. Doylestown

3. South Jersey

4. Harrisburg

 

First and fourth were fairly straightforward for the women’s division this week. Philadelphia RFC made the finals and their opponent was the DC Furies who are not an EPRU club. Therefore, Philly had locked up the top EPRU spot before the Cup Final kicked off. Similarly, Harrisburg won the fifth place match but when we remove DC Furies from the standings Harrisburg slides into fourth place and takes those points.

 

For second and third we needed to look at how Doylestown and South Jersey performed throughout the day to determine who had the advantage. Doylestown went 3-0 in pool play with a +62 point differential while South Jersey went 2-1 in pool play with a +8 point differential. From there, Doylestown lost their semifinal by 12 while South Jersey lost theirs by 17.

 

Overall, Doylestown went 3-1 on the day with a +50 differential while South Jersey went 2-2 with a -9 differential. Therefore, Doylestown had a better record and/or point differential in both pool play and the knockout rounds so they get the points for second place.

 

Men’s Results from Lehigh Valley:

1. Schuylkill River

2. Golden Roses

3. Molly Maguires

4. Reading

5./Open: Phoenixville

 

First, fourth, and fifth are straightforward. Schuylkill River won the premier division and their opponent was a non-EPRU club so they had the first place points locked up before kickoff, Reading was one of four EPRU clubs to play premier but didn’t make the semifinals while the others did so they get the fourth place points, and Phoenixville won the open division so they get the point for that.

 

Therefore, we have to do a comparison between the Golden Roses and Molly Maguires to determine who gets second and gets third. In pool play the Golden Roses went 2-1 with a -4 point differential while Molly Maguires went 1-2 with a -8 differential. The Golden Roses lost their semi by 19 while Molly Maguires lost theirs by 24. Overall, the Golden Roses went 2-2 on the day with a -23 differential while the Molly Maguires went 1-3 with a -32 differential so the Golden Roses had a better record and/or point differential in both pool play and the knockout rounds which earns them the points for second place.

 

Overall Standings:

 

Women:

12 Points – Philadelphia

7 Points – Harrisburg, Phoenixville

6 Points – Doylestown

5 Points – South Jersey

3 Points – Northeast Philly

2 Points – Brandywine

1 Point – Wilmington, Thorns, Lehigh Valley

 

Men:

14 Points – Schuylkill River

8 Points – Reading, Molly Maguires, Golden Roses

3 Points – MontBucks, Phoenixville

2 Points – Blackthorn, Gryphons, Media, Northeast, Old Gaelic, Lehigh Valley

1 Point – Harrisburg, South Jersey, Lancaster Roses, Wilmington