Midterms and midseason all hit about the same time for the Eastern women’s rugby team, and head coach Frank Graziano said he is going to try to make sure his team doesn’t drop off grade-wise and game-wise.

“About midseason, I think it is natural for everyone to start to go into a bit of a lull,” Graziano said. “You just get tired physically and mentally – things start to catch up with you.”

Graziano said because the Panthers are doing so well lately, it would be a little easier to get the team to maintain what they are doing and work through a possible midseason lull.

Sophomore prop Anne Schnura said even though Graziano always says classes come first, it can be a difficult thing to find a balance between school and rugby some times.

“I do homework when I have time, between classes and practice, and then at practice I focus on practice,” Schnura said. “Practice is when I get all my stress and frustration out. I run as hard and fast as I can and just try and keep my composure in practice and in homework.”

Field advantage key

Field position played a primary role in the Panthers’ 86-0 win against Colorado on Sunday in Manhattan, Kan.

Junior flanker Stephanie Militello said senior flyhalf Amanda Fromm did a good job of kicking the ball back into Colorado territory. She said that made it easier for Eastern’s defense to hold the Buffaloes in their own territory.

“Amanda would pin their offense back deep with a really good kick, and they would have a line out or something and we would just take the ball away,” Militello said. “The defense did a really good job of keeping Colorado back on their toes with nowhere to go.”

Graziano said he tends to be a defensive-oriented coach. He said if the Panthers win the toss to start the game, he is going to pick the defensive end of the field against the wind.

“While the offense now has an advantage with the wind at their back, if you can keep them pinned to their end then in the second half you have the advantage with the wind at your back,” Graziano said. “And that is what we did. We hunkered down and focused on defense in the first half and they struggled.”

Big conversion kicks

Graziano said sophomore fullback/wing Coartney McKinney had a great game against Colorado. McKinney converted 9-of-13 two-point conversions on a very windy day.

Graziano said the majority of McKinney’s kicks came from weird angles because she made five kicks from 40 or more yards.

Militello said when McKinney makes kicks it pumps up the entire team, and especially when they are difficult kicks to make.

“She was making some long ones from all kinds of angles that we don’t always expect people to make,” Militello said. “She did a good job of accounting for the wind and getting it done.”

Brandy Provaznik can be reached at 581-7944 or at blprovaznik@eiu.edu.

Junior wing Crystal Jones runs towards the goal line as a Ball State player grabs hold of her from the back during the Panthers’ 112-3 win on Oct. 4 at Lakeside Rugby Field. Jones scored six trys against the Cardinals. (Chris Essig/The Daily Eastern News)

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