Let’s have a quick moment of silence for the Glendale Raptors winning streak, please. It ended on Saturday in Berkeley, California.
Tries from Hali Dieters, Kristen Shalosky and Kelly Mullen helped flip a 10-0 deficit to a 19-15 lead over Berkeley All Blues in the second half. But the All Blues scored a try and conversion in the waning minutes and ended the fun, 22-19.
Darn.
Now, of course, at the beginning of the season Raptors coach Mark Bullock said the team wasn’t worried about this streak – one that stretched from the Women’s Premier League (WPL) championship game in 2014 to the third game of the 2015 fall season.
His focus was get the team to the Women’s Premiere League semifinals.
“If you do that, you have a chance,” he said.
But for the fans, and the streaking types, it sure was fun while it lasted.
Saturday, Rachel Ryan, Mary Pezzulo, Raquel Serra were all out injured. Christen Suda, the hero two weeks ago in the 27-24 win over the Oregon Rugby Sports Union, and Chinyere Isaac-Helson were also out.
Early in the second half, successive tries from Shalosky and Mullen gave the Raptors the 19-15 lead. But Frances Wehrwein scored in the 78th minute and the All Blues held on for their second win of the season.
“We did well in the first half and fell off a bit in the second half,” Berkeley coach Katrina Logan told the WPL website. “But we were able to recover even though Glendale was really tough in their attack and how effective they were around the field.”
The Raptors return home to Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado to face the Oregon Rugby Sports Union on Saturday at 3pm. Tickets can be bought online at www.glendaleraptors.com or at the gate.
Image Credit: Seth McConnell and Berkeley All Blues Facebook