Author: Kristin

Despite losses, Dockers women have an a-maize-ing time at USAFL Nationals

Posted on by Kristin

The Lady Eagles had a tremendous regular season going 5-2 and winning the Eastern Regional Tournament in June. This past weekend we headed to the USAFL Nationals in Racine Wisconsin to close out our season.

The Lady Eagles played in Division II on a combined team with the Boston Demons and the Des Moines Roosters. We began the weekend with a chilly morning game against the Calgary Kookaburras (combined with Arizona Lady Hawks, North Star Blue Ox, and Nashville Kangaroos). The first half was a little slow for the Lady Eagles, as we learned to work together as a combined team and communicate with one another to move the ball up the field. We began to feel more comfortable as the game wore on and played stronger in the second half. It was a very defensive game, with our back line and midfield working hard to keep the ball out of the goal. In the end, we ultimately fell to the Kookaburras.

DC Eagles Women
0.0.0

Calgary Kookaburras
3.7.25

As we continued to gel as a team, we felt more confident going into our afternoon game against our Eastern foes, the Columbus Cats combined with the Philadelphia Hawks and Chicago Swans. The Cats struck first but Kristin scored our first point of the tournament with a behind. Lough continued our scoring with two goals of her own. However, some costly penalties led to good scoring opportunities for the Cats, who came away with the win in the end. It was a hard fought match on both sides and we were proud of the team effort that we put in on day 1 of Nationals.

Columbus Cats Women
4.3.27

DC Eagles Women
2.2.14

The Lady Eagles continued their Nationals Tournament with a very early game on Sunday morning against the Texas Heat combined with Los Angeles Dragons and Oklahoma. The Lady Eagles struck first with two behinds by Kristin and later two more by Kendall and Lough, but were unable to capitalize on these scoring chances and kick a goal. We competed well and played strong in the defensive end. The backline led by Christina and Tatiana played particularly well allowing only one goal and a behind. However, that proved to be enough for the win.

DC Eagles Women
0.4.4

Houston Lonestars Women
1.1.7

Our last game of the tournament was against a very strong side that combined two teams previously in Division I, the Sacramento Suns and the Montreal Angels. The Suns dominated the game, with the ball rarely leaving our defensive end. Our defense and midfield were relentless nonetheless, working hard to prevent further scoring opportunities and clear the ball into the forward 50. Despite a solid effort, we fell to the Suns.

Sacramento Lady Suns
8.9.57

DC Eagles Women
0.0.0

Even though our Nationals did not go as we had hoped, it was still an awesome time. We were able to cheer the Baltimore Dockers to their first Division IV Nationals Championship in our first year as a club, which was amazing! We also had a great Silly Sunday celebrating the season and the Dockers’ Championship throughout the night in Milwaukee.

I could not be prouder of this Lady Eagles team as I reflect back on this 2018 USAFL season. We came together as a team and grew stronger with each game. We fielded 14-16+ players at almost every game, which was incredible. It has been so great to watch the women’s team grow over the past few years. Our Eastern Regional Championship (and celebrating the win in Philly), was of course the highlight of the season, really demonstrating the skill, talent, heart, and tenacity of our team. I cannot wait to see what the Lady Eagles do next year, as we continue to get better and stronger this offseason!

Thanks for supporting the women this year and stay tuned for 2019!

Game Recaps: Women’s team goes 2-1 in away games

Posted on by Kristin

Women’s team victory in Boston

The Lady Eagles traveled to Boston at the end of August to take on the Boston Lady Demons on a combined team with the Philadelphia Hawks. We played with smaller sides on a condensed field, which led to a very fast paced game. Strong defensive play by Lough and Christina prevented many scoring opportunities by the Lady Demons and enabled quick transitions into the midfield and forward lines. Our midfield and forwards were dominant, scoring 16 goals and 17 behinds over 4 quarters of play. The Lady Eagles emerged victorious. We celebrated our victory with a night out in the city and some Australian pies and sausage rolls then capped off the celebration with a boat race win!

Boston Lady Demons
1.5.11

DC Eagles Women
16.17.113

East/West Showdown: Magpie shutout, then shut out by the Maidens

In early September, the Lady Eagles traveled to New York for the East/West Showdown and the end of the regular footy season. This tournament featured teams and players from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic along with California, Arizona, and Seattle. We began our tournament with a game against our Eastern Region rivals, the New York Lady Magpies. The Lady Eagles were dominant all game. The defense was a wall, blocking any scoring chances. The midfield led by Molly and Karen kept up the pressure, turning over the ball and transitioning it well up-field. We had good intensity and communicated well. Kristin scored the two goals for the Lady Eagles in their decisive victory.

New York Magpies Women
0.0.0

DC Eagles Women
2.4.16

Next, we took on the San Francisco Iron Maidens, who were the Division I USAFL National Champions in 2017. The Iron Maidens were a very strong side and moved the ball well throughout the game. We played well defensively but our communication broke down, which made it difficult to effectively clear and transition the footy down the field. Despite the loss, the game was an excellent learning opportunity and helped us prepare further for USAFL Nationals. The San Francisco Iron Maidens also beat New York and were crowned the winners of the East/ West Showdown. Following the games, we celebrated all together in the city!

San Francisco
Iron Maidens
8.8.56

DC Eagles Women
0.0.0

Our fantastic regular season has come to a close. We went 5-2 in regular season play and won the USAFL Eastern Regional Championship. Next up, we travel to Racine, Wisconsin on October 14 for the USAFL Nationals. We will play combined with another team (to be announced) in Division II as we look to continue our winning season and hopefully bring back some hardware! Stay tuned!

Women’s team racks up another win in Philly

Posted on by Kristin

The Lady Eagles continued their fantastic season this past weekend in Philadelphia, squaring off against the Philly Hawks and Boston Lady Demons.

After a bit of a late start, we took on the Demon/Hawks, in a high-scoring game that was neck and neck until the third quarter.  Despite nearing thunder, we finished out the third quarter with a narrow lead, only to endure a perilously long gap before the fourth quarter with a show of lightning and impressive rain.  But the long delay did not drag down the momentum, as we hammered in a couple more goals to secure the lead.

The Lady Eagles emerged victorious in our highest scoring game of the season, with goals from Molly, Mims, and Mariam – not to mention a hat trick by Baltimore’s Kristin Poti, earning her best on ground for the match. Strong play in the backline led by Bel and Ella and in the midfield by Kendall Jennings, Molly, and Alex allowed for good transitions up the field, creating many opportunities for the forward line. 

The Lady Eagles continue to grow stronger as a team with each match, and we hope to carry this momentum into the final stretch of the regular season and into Nationals in October. Our next game will be August 25 in Boston, where will face off once again with the Boston Lady Demons and Philly Hawks. Then on September 8, we head to New York for the East Coast/ West Coast Showdown, which should be a fun and exciting day of footy between all the women’s teams on the East Coast and San Francisco. Stay tuned!