Bloomsburg University and Kutztown University have dominated the DII Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conference (MARC), and they will meet each other this weekend to sort themselves within the league. The Huskies have, at this point, worked in three non-league matches to expedite the growth process, and it’s starting to show itself.
“The other night at practice I told [the players] … this could be a very special fall if they truly want it to be,” Bloomsburg head coach Kevin Castner said. “If they give 100% every time, at every workout and on the field, it’s in their hands to make it a special fall. They’re starting to see it and recognize it – especially after last weekend with the roster they took and getting the win. Whoever takes the field will do Bloomsburg proud.”
Castner was referencing last weekend’s non-league match against Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), a road game that Bloomsburg gratefully added after another shift in the MARC schedule. The last-minute fixture saw fewer than 20 travel and put second-team players into the starting lineup and with an opportunity to step up. They did, and Bloomsburg won 30-29.
That game was a confidence boost, but previous non-league games against NCAA varsity West Chester University and Division I Princeton University were more revealing. Bloomsburg has history with the Golden Rams, the head coaches are good friends, but West Chester is the traditional victor in this friendly match-up. On Sept. 15, Bloomsburg dropped a 79-point match to West Chester.
“It’s not that they choked,” Castner said. “Sometimes they succumb to the pressure of, ‘Oh, they’re a varsity team,’ and don’t put themselves on the same pedestal as West Chester. It’s more the psychology of it all, but they’re better than they think they are.
“But every year, we always want to play West Chester,” the coach added. “It’s a challenge and that exposure helps us identify our weaknesses and make improvements.”
That was the focus heading into Princeton. Bloomsburg had never played the Tigers in 15s, but did know Princeton’s fast, wide, disciplined 7s game. The New Jersey side came out hard for the opening 10 minutes, and then Bloomsburg tightened up and dominated the rest of the first half. The second stanza followed a similar pattern, and in the end, Princeton prevailed 39-27.
“It was one of those shoulda-woulda-coulda matches. They were extremely disappointed with the result, knowing what they should have done but didn’t execute,” Castner said. “But they played very well for 60 minutes and that is something to be very proud of.”
Christiana Deo and Jacqueline Smith direct the squad as captains, and a stellar set of junior and senior forwards is driving on-field success. Players like props Sydney Main, Victoria Schafte and Cameron Ostrowski, hooker Taylor Beer, and second row Hannah Gough are capitalizing on their years together and ever-growing rugby IQ.
“The forwards right now are dominating in the set piece, counter-rucking, at taking good inside ball off the backs, running into open space and creating a lot of room and scoring themselves. Even working together – slow ball, pick-and-goes – it’s really fantastic how they’re playing off each other,” Castner enthused. “In the backs we have some great athletes but it’s out forwards that are definitely dominating the day right now, which is awesome because they deserve all the credit for their hard work.”
It’s starting to all come together now; newer players have been integrated, timing is developing, and strengths have been identified and promoted. Saturday’s game against Kutztown will inform Bloomsburg whether they’re on the right track.
“Right now, their focus and sights are set on Kutztown. It’s always a fun, heated match that everyone gets up for,” Castner said of the emotionally rich match. “No disrespect to the other teams – Temple has had good teams, same with [Delaware] – but in terms of consistency, it’s been us and Kutztown the last five years. Both teams know they’ll get a good game out of each other.”
The team is step-oriented and not looking past Kutztown, but the players want to build toward the regional championships and beyond. That means focusing on the task at hand but also understanding its place in a larger process. Bloomsburg is looking for that win on Saturday, and then the MARC championship will bring the top-two teams from each pool to Millersville on Nov. 2-3. The DII regional championships (Nov. 23-24) are preceded by a wild card round and higher seeds hosts. MARC reps to regionals will head to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., for their games and then the fall championship is Dec. 7-8 in Matthews, N.C.
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