Stonehill Women’s Rugby competes in the DII Rugby Northeast Conference, the Skyhawks have had some success the past few years in 7s and currently hold a 6-2 record. Michael Surprenant and coach Jason Kolovson became the coaches in the Fall of 2016.
Surprenant spoke about how the coaching staff puts the success of the club in the hands of the players. Every member is held accountable for themselves and the effort put into the club. Surprenant went on to discuss the successes this season in getting new players more experience, counter rucking and breakdown skills, and exploiting turnovers with counterattacks.
He continued with, “a big saying in the club before a match is that ‘We are going to play proper rugby’… What this means to the club is that the girls will stick to the game plan and trust one another. We don’t alter our plan of attack based on the experience of the players in the lineup. Our plays and our ‘shape’ are constant and the coaching staff has high expectations for every player on the field.”
On Stonehill’s last win this season (28-20) against rival St. Michael’s, Surprenant said it was, “our toughest game of the season up to this point. St. Michael’s women were tough as nails and held us defensively… At the final whistle the girls went nuts and celebrated because they knew how hard they had worked and how much heart it took to pull off a win like that. All in all, the significance of the rivalry has been renewed and everyone knows why we are so excited for ‘rivalry week’ now.” After a tough loss to Bryant (17-22) this past weekend the squad prepares to matchup again in the Spring!
Some players who stood out this Fall are flyhalf Lea Perugini, backs Hannah Mackay and Elizabeth Martin, flanker Caitlin Welsh, and front rows Kaleigh Gilliland and Marytza Mompoint. Watch Stonehill compete again come next season!
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