After losing to James Madison University only three weeks ago, the women's club rugby team defeated JMU, 21-15, to advance to the "Sweet Sixteen" round of national tournament play this past weekend. It was the third time in the past three years that the team has advanced to the semifinals. More impressively, Princeton did it missing two experienced players who have been major contributors to the team's past success.
Juniors Casey Gallagher and Haemi Shin are spending the semester studying abroad in Sydney, Australia. Gallagher, a wing, was invited to national team try outs this year and has traveled to both Thailand and Trinidad and Tobago to compete internationally. Shin, playing at the forward position, has been described by rugby president junior Heather Van Der Hoop as a "solid player who makes key tackles."
For both Gallagher and Shin, studying abroad was the right decision to make for this semester, despite the fact that both would miss the chance to play for another national championship.
"I've always wanted to study abroad," Shin, who made her decision at the beginning of the fall semester, said. "Knowing that I was going to Australia, where I could still play rugby, made that an easier decision."
Gallagher, unsure of her decision and feeling more pressure to stay at home, decided around Thanksgiving to study abroad. "I had always wanted to be abroad, but I almost decided not to do it for rugby. But the fact that I would be able to play here and work on my game made my decision."
Both girls describe the experience thus far as "amazing" and say that teammates have been supportive and offered encouragement.
"A bunch of girls on the team came up to me and said something along the lines of, 'I wish I went abroad. Go for it,' " Shin said.
"The hardest part was definitely telling my coach, the team captains and my close friends on the team," Gallagher said. "Everyone expected Haemi to study abroad from the beginning, but my late decision was a little unexpected — I think some of the people on the team were wondering where it came from. But really, everyone has been supportive."
Rugby in Australia
Shin and Gallagher describe rugby to be very similar in Australia and the United States. Both girls played in their first scrimmage last weekend with a club team at the University of Sydney.
The chief difference between rugby in the two countries is a greater popularity and knowledge of the sport in Australia.
"Unlike the U.S., everyone knows about rugby — it's always on TV. It's kind of like football to them," Shin explains.
"On our team, we always have rookies in the fall," Gallagher adds. "But playing in Australia is different because everyone has grown up with rugby. I've noticed that people have a better intuitive sense on where to stand to receive a pass and where to stand on defense."
Similar to Princeton, the University of Sydney team is a club team. This means that the team is responsible for coming up with its own funding and paying for its own equipment.
"They actually don't have any varsity sports here," Gallagher explained.
Unlike Princeton, the University of Sydney's club team is composed of people of a wide range of ages and abilities. The team has some players who are over 30, with international students coming in to play every year.
"There are a core of players who have played there for anywhere from three to six or seven years," Gallagher said. "The rest of the team changes on a season-by-season basis. The team seems good at adapting."
Both girls are assimilating well to the team and feel that their relationships with Australian teammates will improve over the course of the semester after they have spent more time together, both on and off the field.
Gallagher described the added benefit of playing with older players as being an excellent learning experience. "I'm playing with teammates who have been playing rugby for 10 years — I think I'm definitely going to learn a lot from their experience that will improve my game."
Back at Princeton
Van Der Hoop will quickly tell you that missing Shin and Gallagher has had an impact on this year's team, both on the team's personality and its performance.
"They're a huge part of this team — everyone has known them since day one and we're all really close friends," Van Der Hoop said. "It's weird not to have them here."
From a performance perspective, she described the team as "missing Casey's quick speed and scoring capabilities" and "Haemi's dependable everyday performance and experience."
At the same time, the team has pulled together and united. Despite having "barely enough healthy players to fill a full roster and reserves," the team has stepped up its performance this spring.
"It was said that this year was going to be a rebuilding year," senior captain Lizzie Harvey said. "But even though our numbers are small and many of the faces are new, we were still able to come out on top this past weekend. The talent and dedication of our small team has made us successful."
Van Der Hoop attributed the team's success to its heart and inner drive. "I think you could almost describe us as 'the little team that could,' " she said.
Now Princeton is making yet another run at the final four and a national championship.
Gallagher and Shin, though, miss the team atmosphere that Van Der Hoop described.
"I really miss playing on a team that I've been a part of — where I'm close to all of the girls on the field," Shin said.
Gallagher agrees. After reading excited team emails regarding the victory this past weekend, she realized how much she missed the connection.
"Playing with the team here was really fun last week," Gallagher said, "but I miss running down the field and getting passes from my teammates at Princeton, scoring tries with them. It doesn't mean as much here yet."
Both realize how far Princeton's team has come this spring and are excited and proud of what the team has accomplished.
"It's so great that they've pulled together," Gallagher said. "And I'm really excited to go back in the fall. Haemi and I are just out of the picture for a few months."
With the re-addition of Gallagher and Shin to next year's team, there's no telling what kind of damage the women's rugby team will do.
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