The day started a little chilly; there was a hint of fall in the air. The day ended when the lights came on at the bars; there was more than a hint of beers had. In between, there was rugby, a lot of it! The women were happy to kick off the Severn River double header with a home match against a fellow River team, James River.

The action started quickly with a try from Charlee Bryan four minutes into the first half and it did not slow down after that. Realizing quickly that James River had a lot of their defensive strength in the forwards, the Honey badgers adjusted and the majority of trys were made in the backs. Forwards Erin Gallagher-Johnson and Kate Todorovich put in the legwork with beautiful ball running and connections with the back line.

In the second half, the Honey badgers set a goal to focus on defense. Captain Casey Hartzell explains, “[Defense] is something we have been focusing on for the last couple of seasons, so it’s great to see us finally putting that into action and it working out.” The extra focus on defense paid off as Forward Kate Todorovich noted, “Our defense against James River was strong and it made it difficult for them to make constant forward motion.”

As the game went on, the Honey Badgers tacked a few more trys onto the board. Back Aly McCarty was sent off in minute 44 with a yellow but came back determined, energized, and promising to play by the rules, touching down a try just minutes after her reentry. Back Katie Marshall provided essential support to her fellow backs, being in position for offloads and quick balls out.

The game ended 47-7, improving the Honey Badgers season to 4-0. Back Aly McCarty was proud of the game, especially the defensive push by the team, and explains, “If we can keep that momentum going, we’ll be in a great spot for the rest of the season.”

The Honey Badgers will have a bye weekend on 10/12, and will close out their fall season with an away game against Harrisburg on 10/19.

Final Score: 47 - 7

Women of the match:

8- Erin Gallagher-Johnson

13- Aly McCarty (Big A) 

Tries:

Bryan- 1, Whiteley- 1, Romanchak- 2, Paul- 1, Todorovich- 1, McCarty- 3

Conversions: Romanchak – 1 of 9

Roster:

1 Migliorini, Fallon
2 Davidson, Shanna (Blade)
3 Todorovich, Kathryn (Todo)
4 Stocker, Molly (OG)
5 Ferreira, Lena (C)
6 Hickok, Stephanie
7 Whiteley, Hannah (Scrappy)
8 Gallagher-Johnson, Erin
9 Romanchak, Maria (Masha)
10 Bryan, Charlee
11 Paul, Tiffany
12 Hartzell, Casey (C)
13 McCarty, Alyson
14 Lockhart, Marie (Malie)
15 Marshall, Kaitlyn
16 Wachtel, Zoi
17 Chafin, Ashley
18 Priddy, Rachel (Sloth)
19 Morris, Lindsay
20 Murray, Jess
21 McAlister, Meredith