(Tucson, Arizona) The Old Pueblo Lightning Women’s Rugby Club won the Southwest Rugby Union D2 Regional Playoffs and is now headed to San Jose, California, May 7–8, 2022, to represent Arizona and the Southwest Rugby Union in the USA Rugby Club 15s Pacific D2 Super Regional Playoffs.
The OP Lightning made it to the Southwest Rugby Union Regional Playoffs with a regular season record of 5-1. They faced the Atomic Sisters of Albuquerque, NM, last Saturday, April 23, in Mesa, AZ, for the SWRU Regional Playoffs. The Lightning were behind by three points (13-10) at halftime but came back in the second half with renewed vigor to beat out the Sisters with a final score of 41-28.
Matthew Quay, head coach for the OP Lightning, said coming back from COVID, everything was up in the air so he wondered if the team would even get a full season in this year.
“The team always has the talent to win,” said Quay. “We just didn’t know how long or how much we would actually be able to play. When we won, it was really a culmination of all of the hard work we have put in. It all paid off. I was really excited.”
On Saturday, May 7, 2022, the OP Lightning will face the Berkley All Blues, the Northern California Rugby Union winner, at 1 p.m. at Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Complex in Morgan Hill, CA. The winner of that match will advance to play on Sunday. The winner of Sunday’s match will advance to the USA Rugby Final Four in Atlanta, GA, on May 21, 2022.
The OP Lightning are currently hosting a 50/50 raffle to raise funds for the travel required to get the entire team to Super Regionals next weekend. Each ticket is $10 and the drawing will be held on May 5, 2022. This is a true 50/50 raffle with the winner receiving half of the total ticket sales and the other half going to support the team’s travel expenses. All donations, including the ticket sales, are tax-deductible as the OP Lightning is a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
The OP Lightning is a local Division 2 grassroots team based in Tucson, Arizona, with the mission of providing women, ages 18 and up, with the opportunity to learn and play the sport of rugby. Rugby offers many opportunities for women of all shapes and sizes to gain a great support community, learn a new sport, travel, and network.
For more information about the OP Lightning or the USAR Super Regional Playoffs, call Coach Matthew Quay at (520) 903–4639. To purchase a 50/50 raffle ticket or to make a tax-deductible donation to the team, email the OP Lightning Treasurer at [email protected].
Press Release courtesy of the Old Pueblo Lightning Rugby Club – Angela Gabbard
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