After taking the top spot in the Greater Ohio Rugby League, Akron Women’s Rugby is headed to take on South Buffalo, Nov. 4.
The team took the number-one spot in the Greater Ohio Rugby League after dominating against Uticuse in the first round of playoffs. The team left the field with a 32-12 victory and a new title for the first time in over two decades.
The team, which originated on The University of Akron campus, has nearly a dozen players who are current or former UA students.
Dana Bullock, head coach for the Akron Women’s Rugby Team, is impressed by the success of the team. Bullock has been a part of Akron Rugby for 13 years, starting out as a player before coaching the team.
“I am incredibly proud of this team,” Bullock said. “Out of the 8 years that I have been coaching, we have never had a team with this level of perseverance and dedication. They have achieved a level of knowledge and skill of rugby that we have never experienced before. They are so fun to watch and a pleasure to coach!”
The Akron Women’s Rugby team was founded in 2001, though the Akron team is a part of the newly established Ohio Division, along with Dayton, Cleveland and Fort Wayne. The Division II team is part of the Eastern League of the Midwest Rugby Union and Akron Rugby Football Club.
While Akron Women’s Rugby is a pay-to-play team, the team shares a common bond through their experience at The University of Akron.
On the team, Sarah Burneson is a sophomore public relations major and Buchtelite reporter, while teammate Jesse Pennington is a UA senior, majoring in civil engineering. The team’s UA alumni include Bri Mehen, Abbie Stopka, Emily Ramsey, Gina Frisone, Alyssa Boyle, Traci Willard, Leila Halay, April Hall and Margaret Tulay.
Previously, the team made it all the way to the playoffs.
“Last year, we made it to the playoffs, and it was exciting, but this year feels different because the team is working together so differently,” player Abbie Stopka said.
The second-year player who joined the team while still a student at UA feels the team is more organized, strategic and united.
“We’re building our strategy and understanding our teammates better versus last year,” she said.
Stopka has no doubts about the outcome of Saturday’s game.
“It feels like we’re going to completely blow South Buffalo out of the water. We are so confident, and we know we are better than this team. We all had a little bit of self-doubt walking in last year, but not this year,” Stopka said.
The current team is Akron Women’s Rugby’s first team to make the second round of the playoffs. Their hope is to win against South Buffalo and then head to Chicago for the last round of semi-finals.
The team advances to the second round of playoffs as they face South Buffalo this Saturday, Nov. 4. The game will kick off at Tim Russert Park at 324 Indian Church Road, West Seneca, NY at 11 a.m.
If the team is successful, they will earn the opportunity to compete at a higher level in the spring when they might typically be focused on practice and exhibition matches.
