Last June, the La Salle athletic department announced it would be adding four sports and subsequently hired head coaches. Now, after over a year of preparation, the first game of the new sports will be played on Saturday, August 30, as the La Salle rugby team will take the field for its first ever game against Mount St. Mary's.  

 
La Salle Rugby Games are played on the far east side of Hank DeVincent Field. A limited number of bleachers will be set up for fans, but spectators are encouraged to prepare for the possibility that they may not have seating. Lawn chairs and other portable options are permitted.

Fans may park in the Trumark Financial Center parking lot. The lot can be found on GPS systems by searching "Trumark Financial Center" off of West Olney Avenue. Restrooms are located at McCarthy Stadium to the immediate west of DeVincent Field.

There are no concessions located at or near the site of competition. Fans are advised to bring water for outdoor sports.

 
Interview With Head Coach Kelsie McDowell

You're a week into training. What do you think about the squad so far?
We have really great kids who are also really awesome rugby players. They're young, so we're installing a lot of new stuff that any of them haven't seen before, but they're picking it up quickly. So far, so good!

Your team is almost entirely freshman, a bit of a rarity in college sports. How's that been?
So far, they've been handling the stress of college life really well. There have definitely been points of struggle with a lot of them, but I think that if there weren't points of struggle, I'd be more concerned than when there are struggles.

Me knowing that there are challenges means they're communicating and they're reaching out for help, which I think is really important. They're all learning together. We're new college coaches as well, so we are figuring it out alongside them. Overall, they're handling everything really well.

While you aren't the first Division I Rugby program in the area (West Chester), but Rugby is a niche sport. What has it been like recruiting? Are there student-athletes on the roster who are new to the sport?
All but one of our kids have played rugby in some capacity. It's actually become quite popular in Pennsylvania. That said, we have a bit of an advantage with [Assistant Coach Chris Rowell] and myself on staff, having both coached for a national development pathway.

On the recruitment side of things, we know what rocks to lift up and where to look for kids. With all that said, there aren't a lot of rugby players to go around with varsity programs. It's been a bit of a chase game to get kids to commit to a new program. They've had to buy into a vision of something that we were still in the process of building.

Going hand-in-hand with that, a lot of La Salle's programs have a distinct local flavor to the roster. You have a very national set of athletes, talk about getting this group together.
The kids we have here bought into the vision. Our program is about not just creating competent rugby players, but strong, independent women. We have a very strong philosophy of building each other up, not tearing each other down.

Our theme for this season is our entire squad is under construction. This year is very much under construction for all aspects of our team, but they know that they're the first ones laying the foundation. I'd say all 22 of the girls are really special to buy into that vision and also have confidence in our coaching staff, La Salle, and themselves.

Speaking of this first campaign, give us your thoughts on the schedule and roster for this season.
Starting with the schedule, Temple is the only game that we actually scheduled ourselves. Unlike most sports, the NIRA (organizing body for collegiate rugby), they build the schedules out. We didn't really have to build our own schedule. It's similar to how conference scheduling works for most other sports, but for us, it's the whole season. We're in a non-championship season this year since it's our first, so we play Mount St. Mary's twice. That won't happen next year.

On the roster… every single one of them is going to get a lot of playing time in their first year. We just have a lot of leadership across the board, so it's hard to call out individuals. I think Bri Wertman is going to be essential. She's our one junior who has collegiate experience and knows the landscape. So not just as a player, but also just from the leadership standpoint.
I know freshman year's hard, but you're going to get through it. Our other captains, Bri is our head captain, and then we have Alyssa Post and Mallory Weronko, who are our two other captains. Mallory is our off-field captain. Alyssa is our defense and forward captain, Bri is our attack and backline, captain. So those are our three kind of leaders right now, but you also have standouts like Maeve Delaney and Bailey Borum-Gray, and the back line, you have Claire Meislahn, and you have just a lot of girls, honestly.

So, I mean, as far as how the season's going to go, I'll let you know after Saturday.
 
Talk about admin support, it's a challenge building in the first-year program. La Salle University and Athletic Admin have really been seemingly behind you the entire time. We've done our best to give you what you need to succeed. I guess talk about university support, athletic department, support, and how that's contributed to the success you've had so far.
Yeah, I mean, we have our own field. Like, that's rare for any Rugby program, even D1. A lot of the other schools share with a lot of different, teams, intermurals, stuff like that. Admin support-wise, I think, we've been given what we need to give the girls an actual D1 experience. I think they're all really excited about that. [Athletic Director Ashwin Puri], is excited to come out, and every time I've seen a faculty member, they're like, "We can't wait to come watch your first game." I think all of that support means a lot to the whole squad.

Looking forward, you've got your team here. How do you see this team growing and this program growing over the next two to three years?
We're going to get another recruiting class that's hopefully just as strong as the one we have right now, and continuously hoping to get that. This year is like a proof of concept, right? We're going to have a squad. I perceive recruiting being a bit easier now that we have a team that they can come and watch, that we have dorms they can stay in, and teammates to host them. It's not just me showing them around campus and promising something that's not built yet. I think that the growth will be there going forward as well.

What would you say the La Salle community as we begin your first season in three days?
The La Salle Community is supportive. The girls are also drawn to campus because every time they've walked around, like, the professors say hi, people actually care about them. Like, they're not lost in a massive student body somewhere. So, I would say it's a very inclusive and supportive.  
Rules Explainer
Rugby union (15s) is similar to American football in terms of scoring. Two teams of 15 players try to score points by carrying, passing backward, or kicking an oval ball to cross the opponent's try line (5 points) or kick it through the goalposts (2–3 points). Players can tackle opponents to stop progress, but play must stay continuous, with rucks, mauls, lineouts, and scrums used to restart contested possession. Click here to read more.