Alde Nguyen
Staff Writer
Mira Costa girls rugby team captured a win during its last game of the season against Roosevelt High but fell short in the first two games by losing to Roosevelt.
The Mira Costa girls rugby team was defeated by Roosevelt High School, 20-5 and 17-0, but was able to clinch a 17-12 win against Roosevelt at Roosevelt on Saturday, Feb. 4. The mustangs couldn’t maintain a solid defense against Roosevelt’s faster lineup which resulted in two losses but improved on their offensive plays to capture a win.
Photos: The Mira Costa girls rugby faces off against Roosevelt High School
“Everyday in practice we work very hard which resulted in our great performances today,” Freshman Katie Lulla said. “In the last game against Roosevelt we had used everything we learned in order to win.”
In the first game, The mustangs were unable to score in the first quarter which resulted in a 12-0 Roosevelt lead at the half. In the second half, Freshman Fine Tuitupou ran into the try zone to convert the score to 12-5. The mustangs ended the game with a Roosevelt win 17-5.
“I think that we played very well during this game compared to our other games because we had offloaded the ball and supported each other much better,” Tuitupou said. “I still feel that our tackling and defense could still be improved upon.”
The official website of the Mira Costa rugby teams
In Costa’s second game against Roosevelt High School, the mustangs were unable to prevent Roosevelt from scoring 17 points. Nearing the end of the game, Tuitupou ran near the try zone but was tackled before scoring the try resulting in the final score of 17-0 Roosevelt.
“Playing isn’t about winning, it’s about doing our best and our team had played very well during this game against Roosevelt,” Freshman Maddie Lathbury said. “We could definitely improve on our tackling as well the communication between us.”
The official Facebook of the Mira Costa girls and boys rugby team
In the first half of the last game against Roosevelt and their season, Junior Alexis Fonua began the half by receiving the ball from Senior Maria Meola after a lineout and scoring a try to bring the mustangs to a 5-0 lead. Following the score, Fonua dashed down the field to score a consecutive try. Meola then converted the try to bring the score to a 12-12 tie at the half.
“In the last game we did a really good job of passing the ball and moving it down the field,” Meola said. “ During the game, Alexis and I had a lot of good plays where she would offload the ball to me because she does a great job of pulling in the defenders.”
In the last half of the final game against Roosevelt, Maria Meola had begun the half by receiving an offload from Fonua and dashing into the try zone scoring 5 points. Meola’s score brought the mustangs to a 17-12 win over Roosevelt. This third game against Roosevelt marked the closure of the first season for Costa’s girls rugby team.
“I think that last game was an amazing way to end our season because we all played really well and everyone was cheering for us on the sidelines following our win,” Meola said.
The Mira Costa girls rugby ended their season 2-14-1 overall and 0-5 in the Southern California Red Division. Despite the closure of their first season, the team will play an international high school team from Canada at Costa on an unspecified date in March.
“We have a great team and Costa has a lot to look forward to for the girls rugby team.” Lulla said.
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