Veronika Quispe/Contributing Writer
Out of the 19 women heading to Pittsburgh, PA from FIU this weekend only five have have stepped foot on USA College Women’s Rugby National Championship grounds.
However, these women have one thing in common; the hunger to bring back a win. FIU will be flying out to face Cal State University on Saturday in semifinal play.
Out of the 19 women, eight have had less than a year’s worth of experience at the complex sport of rugby. Meaning most of their starting players have only had months to be acquainted with the game.
Nevertheless, some rookies have served as immediate assets. Such as sophomore, criminal justice major Alexandra Diaz, who first held a Gilbert ball in January earlier this year and earned the position in second row. “She does a great job defensively and is now one of my go to pillars,” coach Adrian Salazar, who has worked with the team for three consecutive years, said.
With so many new players it’s questionable how a team could have pushed thought to make it to national semifinals.
“It’s been difficult. We have a lot of talented girls that are willing to work and learn and thats what has been keeping the club at the same level if not better than we were,” senior Biology major scrumhalf/captain Eileen de La Rosa said. She leads FIU into conditioning and practices three times a week.
After taking a look at their season, which combines spring and fall, the answer sort of screams out. Starting with its season opener back in September against Florida State. FIU demolished them 87-0. Which pretty much sums up the rest of the season. Strangely enough their next scheduled team, Florida Gulf Coast, forfeit their game.
Forfeited games have been popular this season with a total of four. However, FIU has won every other game leaving its season at 5-0.
So what’s the formula for this winning team? They’ve had their fair share of setbacks most teams endure such as injuries and key players leaving. So what is it that’s getting them games that end in impressive scores like 64-7 against University of South Florida and 41-5 against Eckerd College?
“Honestly, I think it’s the drama between them,” Salazar said. Drama can almost always be one of the ingredients in holding a team back. However, the team has managed to somehow channel their “drama” on the field more than with each other.
“They fight and they argue as teams have done before, yet when they fix things it creates a huge bonding moment. Which reflects on the field,” Salazar said.
Bonding and chemistry have been essential with new and returning players; which kept them from winning the national title last year was just that, teamwork.
“These girls were very athletic (last season), there was no doubt. But it takes more than that to win. You have to be a team,” Salazar said. The captains De La Rosa and scrumhalf senior mechanical/biomedical engineering major Leandra Ates have made sure everyone feels like a family; whether it’s by working out, hanging out in spare time, or even the occasional fight, they have definitely come closer.
Another part of the winning formula has been their versatile players. FIU has a stacked roster of new members, and the veterans have reinforced to not limit themselves to only one position.
“It’s important for them to be good at different positions because you never know where you’re going to be needed,” Salazar said, “We are really good offensively, we have a lot of people that can attack from anywhere.”
FIU has proven to be a threat to Florida teams because they have a ruthless mission to not only win, but leave their opponent scoreless. “The toughest part is controlling the energy they have inside them. Keep it disciplined and respectful even when someone is not being respectful with them,” Salazar said.
With relatively easy competition throughout the season, it was difficult for FIU to correctly prepare for the top notch teams they will face at nationals. They attended different tournaments such as All-Florida Day, in which they lost in the finals. FIU, a division 2 team, also attended Ruggerfest, where they lost in the finals against a nationally ranked division 1 team.
Their attempt to pick up some real competition did not stop there. Salazar also encouraged them to attend the men’s practice often to get used to experienced bigger sized players.
The national semifinals will not be as “easy” as any of FIU’s past games. Cal State’s biggest strength is their size, however FIU feels confident that they can put up a fair fight and bring home a win. “We can’t let other styles of play influence us in a bad way. Communication and support is what will take us all the way,” De La Rosa said.
If FIU defeats Cal State then they will face the winner of Salisbury University and University of Cal – Riverside on May 9th.
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