Donning sister college Cal’s jerseys, Berkeley banked the first win of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) Saturday afternoon on Treasure Island. The All Blues hosted a light ORSU and took a 12-0 lead into halftime before pulling away 29-5 for the bonus-point win.
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“I think we have a good mix of experience with a couple of newcomers who showed up today, which was awesome,” Berkeley scrumhalf Shelby Lin said after the win. “We have a new coaching staff that we’re really excited about so it was cool see us put some of that in place today but also really bring the way we play – the heart and the grit. So even if everything’s not perfect yet, we’re going to come out and play from the heart, and that’s what we did.”
The first 12 minutes were played in ORSU’s end, but handling errors hurt Berkeley and the Jester defense was good. The All Blues had few breakaways but the defense swarmed the tackle and on multiple occasions came away with possession. Anna Symonds relocated from the centers to flanker for this match, and pumped up the ground game, and was also good about freeing the offload to slippery ballcarriers like Erika Farias. The Jesters were without flanker Rachel Johnson – the Eagle did make the trip to NorCal but remained on the sidelines – who landed a month-long USA 7s contract in Chula Vista.
ORSU had an opportunity to put the first points on the board, as it pushed play to Berkeley’s end and then saw flanker Tonya Wessman sin binned for the team’s repeated infractions at the breakdown. Nevertheless, it was Berkeley that surged under the pressure and mounted a counterattack.
“We came into this game like: Defense is our priority,” Lin said of a team strength. “Our offense will get better as we understand our structure going forward, but in this game we could really control our defense. Our forwards especially really showed up on that and we kept a lot of pressure on ORSU that game.”
Lin highlighted co-captain and No. 8 Kedra Davis for leading in that regard, as well as prop Abby Vogel, who was good on both sides of the ball. Vogel was one of several players competing in their first full WPL game and left solid impressions along with lock Ceara Lafferty and wing Laura Thacker.
The offense was missing Evan Hoese, who lit up last weekend’s club 7s national championship and is crucial to the attack, but Lin explained that the coaches strategically rested players.
“We did our best to balance that and get the most out of today,” the scrumhalf said, “ and that lets some other people show up for today.”
Florence Gomez and Kat Chasakara took over the centers, and Maggie Simpson remained a force on the wing. Once the inside passes linked up, she was tough to subdue out wide, and Simpson nearly scored if it wasn’t for a clutch Adriana Mendoza tackle into touch. The clearance kick – which were tough all day due to the wind – didn’t offer much relief, but Emma Richie’s punts always make touch. The Berkeley lineout was solid and fullback Serena Liu inserted into the line as the ball worked wide. Mendoza halted her opposite, but Liu got her hands through the tackle, which lifted her off the ground, to find Thacker on the sideline. The debutant cut back across traffic for the try, and flyhalf Sam Miller added the conversion, 7-0.
Berkeley got in attacking territory through a nice set piece move, as Davis peeled off the weak side and connected with Lin, who timed the pass to Simpson for a power run. Play degraded a bit and eventually resulted in a kick out the back, but the pieces were coming together. Overall, Lin used her boot well, whether box-kicking to relieve pressure or kicking off the ground for high-pace chases. ORSU didn’t deploy much of a kicking game.
Near the 35-minute mark, a solid lineout worked wide to Simpson, who pushed off the defense for the corner try: 12-0 into the break.
In the second half, the All Blues ran in another two tries in approximately 10 minutes to secure the bonus point – the always crucial stat that often determines the West’s semifinalists at nationals. Lin kicked the ball ahead and then hunted it down to beat fullback Mendoza – who on offense did a great job inserting into the line for solid meters – coming across. Lin kicked from the ground again and the thick grass allowed for a smooth pick-up, quick move to fullback Serena Liu in pursuit and Thacker for the offload and try. Miller slotted a stellar conversion for the 19-0 lead.
The second try evolved after ORSU was a little overambitious in one ruck in its own end and drew a penalty. Lin raced to the mark and tapped through, and then Vogel rumbled through the middle to suck in the defense. The ball recycled quickly to Thacker, the former San Jose Seahawk, who banked her third try of the game, 24-0.
Although both teams were sometimes choppy on offense, Berkeley was very good about hitting the space between defenders, committing both, and then quickly moving the ball wide, where the backs linked well through traffic. Bulou Mataitoga, who came on late in the match, finished off one such series, getting around the corner for the try, 29-0.
With approximately five minutes left in the match, ORSU snapped the shutout, and did so through a well worked team try. The visitors took advantage of a penalty that evolved while chasing a kick off the ground. The attack mobilized and eventually put the ball in wing Brett Zimmerman’s hands for the try: 29-5 the final.
In other WPL news, Life West traveled to Glendale for its first-ever WPL game and won 43-21. Read Adriaan Ferris’ recount of the debut victory. On Sunday, the East Conference will contest its two games: Atlanta @ Beantown and Twin Cities @ Chicago North Shore.