(Thanks Dani for the Write up!)

Bringing seven Arizona Lady Hawks to this years USAFL national tournament was exciting for the club who had only been able to field four women last year. They were conveniently paired with the Philadelphia Lady Hawks to form a mostly Hawks team along with help from the Baltimore Dockers and Boston Demons Women’s sides.

Game one saw a tough matchup against the contingent of Columbus Cats Women
Nashville, Blue Ox, Tampa Bay, Wisconsin. Due to the pairings the Arizona Hawk Olivia Huesing was moved away from her usual role at fullback to be slotted at center halfback where she was called upon to be a physical presence when under pressure. She rose to the occasion and contained the Cats counterattacks. Angel Bishop was given the role of shutting down Natalie Smith, a crafty midfielder from the Nashville Kangaroos, and did a stellar job. Erica Sacci and Lauryn Kelly from the Philly Hawks also were key contributors in the midfield. The combined Hawks side prevailed with goals from Arizona’s Cassie Cox and Dani Marshall sealing the win with a score of 2.5.17 to 1.6.12.

Game two came five hours after game one and the rest proved to be helpful as the Hawks came out ready to play against an almost full team of the Sacramento Suns finest women whose team was rounded out with some New York Magpie women. Unfortunately for the Suns one of their dominant players Rosemary Kohl was sick and unable to battle in this round. It was a full team effort but one who impressed the most was Casey Troy, who, after missing the first game, was ready to get into the action. She took on players much taller than her and was impressive with her spoils and tackles, often being the one to shut down the Suns attempts to press forward. Mims Pike from the Boston Demons and Leslie Gartner from the Philly Hawks played outstanding games while Arizona Hawks Abby Miklas and Cassie cox did an impressive job of holding the ball in the forward line allowing the Lady Hawks squad to come away with the win at a score line of 3.7.25 to 0.0.0.

Game three was a touch matchup in the tournament semifinal against the reigning D2 womens champions the Montreal Angels who had been paired up with the Suns at the 2018 tournament. This year they were paired with the Chicago Swans Women to form a formidable opponent. The game was tough with the ball trading possession constantly. Melissa Wilhelm was key to the success of the Hawks defense and midfield. She matched up on the key forwards and once she won the ball was dynamic on the counter attack, giving the Hawks much needed momentum. Karen Stablein of the Baltimore Dockers was a cool head in the forward line which was much needed this game. Olivia Huesing and Casey Troy also proved valuable in the defense limiting the Montreal Angles opportunities with their quick pressure. A big kick from Dani Marshall ended up putting in the only goal of the game to see the Hawks win 1.4.10 to 0.1.1 and earn a trip to the Grand Final.

The Grand Final was the toughest game of the tournament for the Combined Lady Hawks squad who came up against the also undefeated DC Eagles/Des Moins/Outlaws pairing. At the end of the tournament with both teams tired it would come down to who could make the most of their opportunities. Again the aggressive play from the trio of Lady Hawks in the backline, Melissa Wilhelm, Casey Troy, and Olivia Huesing limited the DC Eagles attack and got them frustrated. Barb Dempsey from the Philadelphia Hawks also had an outstanding game in the backline. Dani Marshall showed her skill in the air taking several intercept marks and impacting any contest overhead. Angel Bishop displayed incredible fitness and determination in the midfield being everywhere always. In the end it was the calm under pressure of the Arizona Hawks two forwards, Cassie Cox and Abby Miklas, that would seal the game for the Hawks. Kendal Jennings from the DC Eagles came up with the first goal of the game and the Hawks found themselves trailing by a two-score deficit. The gap closed in the beginning of the second half when the ball came down the sideline and into a pack of players near the forward 50 which saw Abby Miklas coming out with the mark. She took her time and found the other Arizona Hawks forward Cassie Cox, who also managed to come down with a contested mark. Inside the forward 50, but at a distance that was not a certain kick, Cassie Cox showed her skill by slotting it home. Still trailing with only two minutes left the Hawks managed to pin the ball down in the forward 50 thanks to a tremendous effort by Cassie Cox and Abby Miklas. A DC player was called for holding the man and a free kick was awarded to Cassie Cox about 30m from goal. With massive pressure and the player on the mark doing her best to distract her, Cassie Cox showed her class by ignoring it all and kicking true to clinch the Premiership for the Hawks in a 2.1.13 to 1.2.8 thriller.

While this article focuses on the Arizona Lady Hawks we would like to recognize that we could never have done it without the outstanding ladies on the Philly Hawks, Boston Demons, and Baltimore Dockers. It was a pleasure to play with them and they contributed mightily to the success of this 2019 USAFL tournament.

Location

phoenix, az