The undefeated Women’s Rugby Football Club continued its domination on Saturday, bringing the team’s season record to 5-0.
Returning from a large-margined victory over the UNC Tar Heels, who the Pack defeated 65-10, the WRFC continued their steamroll through Asheville, where they faced squads from UNC-Asheville and Tennessee. The Wolfpack women first took out Asheville, who they defeated 57-7. The Volunteers became the next victim on the day when State defeated them without allowing a single point, resulting in a 61-0 landslide victory.
Nine different players scored a total of 20 tries between the two games.
Junior in animal science and scrum-half Crystal Martinez attributed the team’s effective victories to their stalwart defense.
“We just play really hard defense,” Martinez said. “We made our tackles, we rucked over the ball and just kept the ball in our possession. We played offense the majority of the game, and that made a big defense.”
For a team that averages over 50 points a game and has only allowed 40 total points in five games, it is evident that something significant has happened to unite the team. According to junior in political science and forward Courtney Parkison , the catalyst that makes the team’s already present cohesion even more potent comes from new head coach Matthew Cartwright.
“A lot of it comes from our natural connection, but his insight and intelligence regarding rugby have helped so much,” Parkison said. “He notices the little things that people in America don’t know because rugby’s not as big over here as it is in England or overseas. He’s really teaching us the ins and outs of the tiny details of the game that other teams aren’t getting, because he has so much experience.
“He keeps continuing to give us more where other coaches would tend to stop; they do what’s enough, he goes above and beyond.”
Cartwright has done quite a bit more than just help the women’s rugby squad to one of their best seasons ever. The team has also caught the eye of rugby officials on the state level; 11 of the 23 players called up for the North Carolina All-Stars Team came directly from the NCSU squad. Cartwright has no doubt in his mind that the team will not only finish the fall season undefeated, but also qualify for nationals in the spring.
“This goes to show the amazing work that the squad have been doing since I arrived,” Cartwright said. “Only a few players have been selected in previous years, and now I have 11 of my players in the squad. This is brilliant for the club and for N.C . State. From here, we carry on building, and it makes me believe even more that my squad will reach nationals.”
Parkison , who is relatively new to the sport, finds it unusual that so many of her fellow teammates were selected, but is excited to share the experience with so many others on her squad.
“It’s a good feeling, especially knowing I have a lot of my other teammates with me,” Parkison said. “I’ve only been playing since the spring of last year. Knowing I’m representing N.C . State with 10 of my other teammates on such a level is pretty much unheard of.”
The women’s rugby team will next return to action on Saturday in a round-robin tournament against Elon and UNC-Greensboro at the Method Road fields. Parkison thinks that fans wishing to attend should expect more of the same that the Pack has provided so far this season—domination.
“I usually just go in thinking we’re going to beat everybody and we’re going to work our butts off,” Parkison said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re playing the number one team in the nation or someone no one’s heard of; you just have to give everything you have every single game. I really try not to listen to what whatever website says about whatever player or whatever team because UNC was supposed to be No. 9 and we absolutely destroyed them. The rankings mean nothing to me. I go into the weekend expecting to win and hopefully just continue this streak of stomping people out and of demolishing the competition.”
