It was supposed to be the game: USA Rugby’s DII champion vs. a DII ACRA finalist. Last Saturday’s match was a friendly – sure – but neither team viewed it as such. Serious bragging rights were on the line … and now they all belong to Notre Dame College (read more about the Falcons’ triumph).

“No excuses,” Mary Washington coach Kris Kabza emphasized. “We were out-matched, and they played fantastic rugby. Hats off to [NDC coach] Mark [Andrade] and everything he’s done.”

The women’s DII college sphere is a malleable one. It’s not uncommon to see a top program dip for a few years before resurfacing with its former strength. But Mary Washington has long been led by Kabza and co-coach Bill Lucas, and their never-ending preparation was a major reason why the team was able to pull off the last-minute trip to nationals last season. So what happened?

“They wanted it more and had something to prove,” Kabza said. “Sometimes I think the best thing that could have happened to us last year was actually the worst thing.”

“The best thing” to which Kabza refers was the fortuitous second chance that allowed Mary Washington to attend the DII final four last spring. After losing by 12 points to Appalachian State in the quarterfinals, AHO forfeited its berth to Stanford, and asked MW to take its spot as the better situated team. That good fortune turned into a national title.

When one considers the effects of a national collegiate title, few are negative. One expects campus recognition, increased numbers and interest, local press, and maybe even favorable treatment from the college or university. But Kabza has experienced something different.

“Our recruitment was way down this year,” Kabza lamented. “I’m not sure if people were afraid to play with us because we have a national title under our belt or what. And then there are a handful of players resting on their laurels. ‘We’re the national champions,’ kind of attitude. Its’ a very different chemistry this year.”

Kabza hoped that Saturday’s loss might reignite that passion to be the best.

“I thought it would be an eye-opener,” the coach said, “but they’re not snapping back into it.”

Kabza wanted to play tougher competition before the conference league kicked off, and hoped games against DI James Madison (30-12 loss) and Notre Dame would expose the team's weaknesses and reintroduce the pace at which the team needed to play. But a big loss in a much-hyped game has injured the team's spirit. Kabza and Lucas called yesterday’s practice early as they whittled down to 11 players.

“The president pulled everyone together, and I stepped away so the players could speak candidly,” Kabza said. “She was trying to rally the troops.

“I’m discouraged, to lose that bad, but I’ve been doing this long enough to know that we’ll bounce back,” Kabza added, skeptical as to whether his players realized that yet. “We’ll fix it.”

Mary Washington will play American University this weekend to open up the Capital conference season. The team should win, and with that, regain some confidence. Originally, the Eagles were supposed to play DI Virginia Tech the following weekend, but Kabza speculated that the cancellation is actually a good thing, just in case another drubbing was in the stars.

In the long run, Mary Washington will be better for the experience now that it realizes the full scope of being a national champion, and why the road only gets tougher after a title win.