In the first match on US soil for the East Coast Women’s League, the Baltimore Washington Eagles hosted the New York Lady Magpies to a 9 a side game in nearly perfect footy weather at Frank C. Bocek Park. With the teams’ successful recruiting efforts in 2012, both Baltimore-Washington and New York had players experiencing their first ever full-tackle game.
At the center tap, rookie ruck for the Pies, Alison Vorsatz, took on veteran Eagle Eileen Geoghegan who proved to have the advantage for most of the day. With Lady Eagles Julie Gailey and Karen Stablein working effectively in the middle, the Baltimore-Washington took the lead quickly as Judith Stein kicked away at full forward. The Pies failed to capitalize on the kickouts from fullback Autumn Ervin and the Lady Eagles kept the pressure on. The half ended with the BW Lady Eagles up 44 to 6 over the Lady Pies.
The Pies came out more aggressively in the second half with continued pressure in backline by Licata and DaCosta. Despite the strong work of Lady Pies midfield including Casillas, McHale, and Vorsatz, New York had trouble putting points on the board with just one goal for the match. Lady Eagles Noni Lewis and Emily Ricotta continued to support Stein in the forward line and Baltimore-Washington ran away with the win in the end.
Lady Pies Captain Drea Casillas and Lady Eagles Captain Judith Stein both praised the outstanding effort of the rookies in a hard fought game.
New York Lady Pies 6
BW Lady Eagles 81
NY Best: Siobhan McHale, Christina Licata, Autumn Ervin
NY Rookie Standout: Alison Vorsatz
It was a windy day as the New York Magpies took on the Chicago Swans in their second away game in a row. New York hadn’t travelled to Chicago for 7 years and were looking forward to testing themselves against the Swans. The Magpies were severely impacted before the first bounce with the withdrawal of Smiley, Squires, McLoughlin, Overell, Spiteri and Blandford due to injuries and unavailability. Despite the distractions, co-captains Todd Smith and Jordan McIntyre called correctly at the coin toss (performed by the Chicago Australian Consul-General) giving the Magpies the first use of the strong 4 goal breeze.
Collins competed well in the ruck from the outset and gave use of the ball to midfielders Taylor, McIntyre and Wheeldon and with the benefit of the wind the Magpies were soon on the attack with Norman and Mitchell getting busy up forward. After some impressive defensive efforts by Smith, Kwiatkowski and Kerr the Magpies were able to take advantage through Dixon who booted the first goal which was soon followed by another from Mitchell.
The Magpies managed to lock the ball into their forward half but were inaccurate in front of goal, failing to convert many gettable shots until Norman managed to bang one through from 50. After a 3 goal to none start the Swans managed to get back a goal late in the quarter.
Fighting into the wind in the second quarter the Magpies knew it would be a tougher task and this was proven when the Swans started quickly showing strong rebounding skills and putting the Magpies defense under attack early, slamming through a couple of quick goals. Gradually, New York worked their way back into the game and 2 goals to McIntyre in the second half of the quarter meant that New York held a 2 goal lead at half time, 5.9 39 to 4.1 25.
The coaching staff made several changes at the start of the second half with Kwiatkowski moving into the ruck and Solly being inserted into the midfield. Chicago’s backline proved difficult to crack however despite the best efforts of Mitchell, Katsof, Walkington and Donner. Midfielders Metten and Desai kept busy though and Dixon and Mitchell added an extra goal each. Caine and Davis continued their strong form, however Chicago remained in touch with a goal of their own and were confident going into the last quarter, coming home with the aid of the breeze. Three quarter time saw the score at 7.10 52 to 5.3 33.
Co-captain Smith fired up the Magpies at three quarter time and challenged the players to win the quarter despite playing into the breeze. The players responded well with Desai continuing his good game and Pezanko putting in several fine second efforts, including one massive shepard to prevent Smith being run down. The Magpies maintained heavy pressure on the Swans and goals to Dixon, Mitchell, McIntyre, and Ormsby put the game beyond doubt. In the end the Magpies ran the game out the stronger of the two teams, however Chicago showed tremendous spirit and fought hard until the end. The final siren went and the Magpies ran out winners, 11.13 79 to 7.3 45, however the scoreboard didn’t reflect how close most of the game was.
Assistant coach Adam Overell said after the game “Chicago play a strong contested brand of football which made it a tough game. I was pleased with the form of some of the new guys and it was good to notch up consecutive road wins.” The Magpies now look forward to a trip down to face the Baltimore-Washington Eagles on Saturday May 12.
NY Magpies 11.13 79 def Chicago Swans 7.3.45
Best: Kwiatkowski, McIntyre, Desai, Taylor, Dixon
Goals: Dixon 3, McIntyre 3, Mitchell 3, Norman 1, Ormsby 1
The New York Magpies kicked off their 2012 season with 2 hard fought wins against the Boston Demons in Massachusetts. After the long bus ride from New York to Boston, the day began with Magpies coach Glenn Ormsby announcing the leadership group for 2012, consisting of Jordan McIntyre, Todd Smith, Jack Taylor, Bryan Caine, Brad Davis, Mike Murphy and David Kyle. The game started fast and furious with plenty of stoppages and both teams’ backlines repelling plenty of attacks. Taylor and Mike Fraietta were attacking the ball relentlessly and the pressure from the midfielders and contests of the forwards saw New York sneak the first goal for the day via Fraietta. The Demons responded almost instantly though and the Magpies led by a couple of points at quarter time.
The second quarter continued as the first had ended with players throwing themselves into the contest. The backlines continued to dictate the play with Alex Kwiatkowski, Smith and Hawkins all showing poise under pressure in the backline. Glenn Caldwell played strong to take a couple of big marks and the Magpies gradually worked their way ahead on the scoreboard. With Rob Donner and Chris Walsh presenting well up forward, rovers Matt Barlaz and Brad Davis had plenty of chances to crumb the packs. However, Boston kept coming and at halftime the difference remained mere points, the Magpies up 3.5 23 to 3.1.19.
After a halftime rev up, the Magpies hit the pitch with greater intent and through strong work from undersized ruckman Nick Kerr and midfielders Mike Dixon and Brett Felsenthal, gradually grinded out to a 4 goal advantage. The going remained tough as debutants Tai Scott and Zach Katsof got involved and the coaching staff worked continuous rotations. Bryan Caine began to get an advantage over his opponent and a Magpies’ goal towards the end of the quarter saw them take a handy 3 goal lead into the final break, 7.7 49 to 5.1 31.
The last quarter remained tight with both teams butchering the ball under pressure and tired legs starting to show. The Magpies appeared to stop running and Boston could sense it, making a late surge to try and pull off an upset. Although Boston had the better of the play they were wasteful in front of goal, missing several scoring opportunities. The Magpies’ rotations increased in response with Ben Metten, Dylan Martin, Joe Hocking and Tom Burke all having an impact on the game. The backline continued to provide strong resistance although work is required on the kick outs. After a tough game, the Magpies held on to run out victors 8.7 55 to 6.5 41 and retain the ANZAC Plate.
The coaching staff were pleased to get the win, saying, “It’s always good to get a victory first up and over rivals Boston. I thought that our new players showed some encouraging signs; however, there is plenty of work to do as we were very rusty today. We’ll definitely be having a hard week on the training track before heading up to Chicago.”
Best Players: Kwiatkowski, Taylor, Hawkins, Walsh, Dixon
Goal Kickers: Davis 2, Felsenthal, Taylor, Dixon, Scott, Walsh, Fraietta
Following the four quarter game, the Magpies’ reserves battled Boston’s reserves in a two quarter game. The Magpies, aided by a strong midfield featuring Ormsby, Martin, Jones, Burke and Bennett, burst out of the blocks and were never really threatened with the backline of Mick Maguire, Conor Walsh, Myles Walkington, Paul Martin and Tristan Keeffe holding particularly strong. Troy Danilo and Tai Scott were lively up forward with a couple of goals. All players who travelled got a decent run and the coaching staff will no doubt have plenty of headaches at the selection table when picking the starting team for Chicago.
Nationals – Division 1
Game 1 – New York Loses Game 1 in Dying Moments
Everyone knew that Calgary was going to be a tough contest coming into the tournament and Game 1 proved to be almost the match of the season. New York kicked against a strong wind in the first half, however the backline and midfield worked tirelessly to ensure the ball didn’t penetrate Calgary’s forward 50 too often. The forward line also exerted plenty of pressure and although New York had more of the ball in the first half, wayward kicking meant the Magpies lead was only 2 points at the major change.
The second half was again another enthralling contest, two of the top teams in North America playing hard, contested and unrelenting football with neither team giving an inch. The Magpies had a few chances to ice the game but Calgary’s run and carry from defense troubled the Magpies. The scores were tied with just a few minutes remaining, however, Calgary took their chances and ran over the top of the Magpies in the last few minutes, kicking what ended up being the match winning goal.
New York 2.5.17 def by Calgary 4.4.28
NY Best: Brennan, Taylor, Stone, Keating, Dixon
NY Goals: Brennan, Dixon
Game 2 – New York bounce back to OC
The OC Bombers have always been a tough match up and NY knew this would be no exception. However with NY needing a win to stay in the championship the coaching staff didn’t need to say much to players.The game was an arm wrestle from the first bounce, but New York worked their way into the game and the last 10 minutes of the first half was all New York allowing the Magpies to take a 2 goal lead into the major change.
The second half was much of the same and New York’s class rose to the top allowing them to run out comfortable winners and bounce back solidly with a win. After the game New York’s James McLoughlin said, “It was good to bounce back with a win, especially after the first game was a toss of the coin, so the boys showed what character there is in this group.”
New York 5.7.37 def Orange County 2.2.14
NY Best: McMaster, McLoughlin, Smith, Davis, Brennan
NY Goals: McLoughlin 2, Lin, Brennan, Keating
Game 3 – New York beat Golden Gate to Keep Hopes of Championship Alive
Needing to rely on other results to make it into the championship game, New York came out hard and dominated the first half. Unfortunately they couldn’t turn that game dominance into scoreboard pressure and with the windy conditions only went into the major change 1 goal up. The second half saw Golden Gate launch a number of counter attacks, however New York’s defense stood tall and only allowed 1 goal for the game which enabled NY to run out winners and finish with a 2-1 record, and waiting for the other results to see if they made the championship game.
New York 3.3.21 def Golden Gate 1.6.12
NY Best: Stone, Keating, Taylor, Spielman, Smith
NY Goals: McLoughlin, Taylor, Spielman
In the end the results didn’t fall in the Magpies favor and they were unable to defend their National Title. This loss has left the Magpies determined to get back to the top in 2012.
Nationals – Division 3
Game 1 – Undermanned New York gets run over by Atlanta
The New York Magpies second team (playing in Division 3 after winning Division 4 last year) were undermanned in their first game against Atlanta. They put in a brave effort and were down by only 3 points at half time. The Magpies were defiant, however, in the second half Atlanta had to much run and won by 5 goals.
Game 2 – New York Bounces back in a thriller over Kansas City
In their second game the Magpies received a boost with a few key players coming back into the team. In a tight game that saw the lead change 6 times in the second half, the Magpies stood tall and showed plenty of character to beat a strong Kansas City outfit.
Game 3 – New York powers past Columbus hoping to make the Grand Final
With their division title hopes still alive NY came out hard in their last round robin match. The Magpies dominated from the opening bounce but were wasteful in front of goal. Despite poor kicking, the Magpies easily accounted for Jackaroos winning by 7 goals.
Even though both teams didn’t make the Grand Finals, the club can still be very proud of the effort and results at Nationals. Finishing top 3 in the country and fielding 2 teams, along with winning the Eastern Conference made 2011 another successful year.
2012 SEASON
Not winning the 2011 National Championship has left the Magpies hungry for more success. Whilst 2011 saw some club legends retire from the club, the core group has been maintained and the players and club as a whole are looking forward to preseason training and getting back on the ground in a bid to climb back to the top of mountain.
