Eager to Play, Air Force Women Start Strong
Eager to Play, Air Force Women Start Strong
The Air Force Academy women's team might have to work extra hard to fill out their schedule, but it's also clear opponents will have to work extra hard to keep up with them.
Competing as an independent CRAA D1 team, the Falcons have Colorado State, New Mexico Tech, BYU, Wyoming, and McKendree on their schedule. And while we don't see School of Mines or Colorado Mesa on the list, and while Air Force remains open to more games (just hit up their coach) this schedule is already tougher than many conference schedules teams have.
Almost always made up entirely of players who have never touched a rugby ball until they show up in Colorado Springs, Air Force was a young team with promise last year, and this year have a strong group of returners who are leading the way. However, the Falcons also have some talented athletes just getting started in the game.
All of that was on display over the past weekend, as Air Force beat Colorado State 83-20, with their 2nd side winning comfortably, as well.
"The cohesion was really impressive," said Head Coach Amy Rusert. "The execution was good, and the defensive line speed was strong which was very good to see. We do have some serious work-ons, but it was really nice to see this year's crop take it on."
Organizing everything are the Migliaccio sisters, with Annie at scrumhalf and Noel at flyhalf. Both understand tempo and pace very well and both provide an offensive spark that keeps defenses guessing. Noel did have to leave with an injury in the game against CSU, but should be back soon. Annie, meanwhile captains the side.
Also impressive was Gracen Worley, who plays lock and No.8 and is a key ballcarrier for the Falcons. She is also their main goalkicker. There seems to be an ongoing theme here as Gracen's younger sister, Jenny-Lee, was a standout for the Air Force 2nds in her opening match.
It was, actually, an opening match for many of the Air Force players, but with eight different players scoring in the 1st game, this was an impressive start.
Air Force was supposed to open with a scrummage against Southern Nazarene, but some technical issues at the Academy scuppered that. They were supposed to play Mines, but that was canceled. So going into the CSU match they expected to have some game time under their belts. They didn't. Instead they were training, watching the Women's Rugby World Cup, and having the experienced players mentor the newer ones.
So far, it's working.
What's Next?
With Air Force being in the CRAA sphere, their plans are to play in a playoff pathway that includes the Pacific Mountain and Pacific Desert conferences. Last year that postseason led to a quarterfinal spot against Claremont Colleges, which the Foxes pulled out 34-31. Claremont, Cal, Grand Canyon, and Western Washington are all contenders once again for that title, and, potentially, could be Central Washington, and of course two-time defending champs Stanford. But there are some other big names in this division now, with Penn State, Wheeling, BYU, and Life all expected to push, as well.
To prepare for them, Air Force will need more games, especially in the later fall and early spring.
