Simon Fraser University traveled south from Vancouver, B.C., in search of competition and the Oregon women’s Club rugby team provided just that.
On Saturday, the Ducks hosted a “very experienced Canadian club team,” Club Coordinator Jessie Oettinger said. Although the game was just a “friendly” match and no score was recorded, both sides looked to take away something productive from the contest.
Oettinger wanted the game to serve as a “learning experience” for the 14 rookies on the Oregon roster. With only 6 returners from last year’s squad, the Ducks had to recruit nine players just to field a full team.
“We recruited heavily in the dorms and in the (Student Recreation Center) weight room because we knew we needed a substantial amount of girls to even play,” Oettinger said.
With more than half of the girls on the field being new to the sport, the Ducks invited the Eugene Housewives — a Eugene-based women’s rugby club that was restarted by UO alumni rugby players — to come out and give Oregon more depth and experience on the field against Simon Fraser. The game was Oregon’s last chance to fine-tune its skills before league play resumes.
In preparation for the upcoming season, Oregon participated in a fall league and traveled to Portland a handful of times to compete in a number of tournaments hosted by the Portland Rugby Club. The Ducks played one regular league game against Central Washington and took home their first victory of the season.
Oregon will compete in the Pacific Northwest Rugby Football Union in the Central Pacific Coast Region. Seven teams — Central Washington, Oregon State, Reed, Washington, Washington State and Western Washington — will compete against Oregon for a chance to enter the Sweet 16 Tournament.
Two years ago, the Ducks went undefeated in league play and finished 10th in the nation at the Sweet 16 tournament, held in Orlando, Fla. After graduating 12 players last year and with a team comprised of inexperienced players, Oettinger wants the focus this year to be on other things besides winning, like building positive team chemistry and strong friendships.
“It’s a pretty complicated game,” Oettinger said. “So this year with so many new people the emphasis is more on learning all the different parts of the game and getting to know each other.”
Although teammate Krista Gust agreed that learning has become a top priority in both practices and games, she said the team’s goal is still to be competitive and win games.
“Even though we are young, we are still aiming to win,” Gust said. “We have a lot of confidence in our new players getting in there and getting it done.”
The Ducks will restart league play on Feb. 7 against Washington in Portland. Oregon will play a total of six league games, with their first home game scheduled on Feb. 21 against Reed at Oregon’s Southbank Field.
“This year, the best team in league will be a surprise,” Oettinger said. “Washington State looks good, Washington has a few good players, OSU also looks awesome. … It’s going to be interesting for sure.”
The women’s rugby team practices twice a week from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. on the turf field by the Student Recreation Center and it is still actively recruiting players to join the team.
“We have room for every body on the field,” Oettinger said. “We need both little bodies and big bodies.”