Hail to the Jills: Two Goals Down, More to Go

Positive Focus on Small Victories after Lopsided First Match

Milwaukee, WS -

After an 8-9 hour road trip on Friday/Saturday, the new kids on the block from Columbus were ready to play in their Inaugural Women’s USAFL match. It would be the capper to a full-day of footy that would see the Jackaroos, Bombers and River Rats square off in Nationals Tournament style, shorter games. But not for these girls – they would go the full four quarters playing 20 then 15 min periods.

The Jillaroos, for all their recent publicity, in both the local THIS WEEK paper, and NBC4 TV Spot – had only competed in one game of 10-minute quarters. Never against a full-team of experienced women, and experience is exactly what they would face. Six of the nine starters have played for the US National Team – the Freedom. To say it was David vs. Goliath would have been the understatement of the century, but these girls went into the match undeterred.

The Minnesota/Milwaukee combination wasted no time in hammering the offensive half of the pitch. Columbus’ defenders held up valiantly, remarkably repelling almost every other attack into their zone. After the first quarter it was obvious the score was going to be a blowout. MIL/MINN Coach Ross Seigel, always the sportsman, offered to swap players to keep the game competitive – but would have to okay it with the team.  And when brought up during the break, they would have nothing of it. They would play and fight as a one unit - regardless of the score.  And as a coach, inside I was absolutely thrilled and beaming with pride the way they wanted to stick together.

Despite the rain downpour, the hail, bumps, bruises or the score, they never gave up. Relentless into tackles, the Jillaroos, lacking experience, were not going to be out hustled, or go down for lack of effort. Though their cardio conditioning would hurt them significantly, they showed they could mark up physically with anyone. They fought hard for the ball, leaving every last bit of energy on the pitch, barely able to stand after the final whistle. They would find a rallying cry during the match as well …“Pull The Trigger … Fight Like a Jiller!”

It would be a day and match where we would count on the small victories to keep our heads up. Kujo almost had a runner after a long kick with that perfect spin was headed for goal-ory. Coach Gardner’s girlfriend Tina DeMent proved gritty all around the pitch, laying out, sacrificing her body, even crawling at times to claw for the pill. Late in the game, one string of three straight marks was a flash of brilliance that showed these sheilas knew how to play the game. Two fourth quarter goals by Club President Jamie Harvey and Club Treasurer Kristi Baldwin had the entire sideline erupting - with cheers from both team's fans, as everyone realized the value and importance of getting on the scoreboard and finding some small, positive battles to rally behind.

Before and after the game, the Columbus players were warmly welcomed into this close-knit circle that is womens footy in North America.  Ladies bonded almost immediately - everyone excited to be joining together with new friends. The Home Team brought beverage offerings as well as plenty of encouraging words to their new comrades.  Most of ladies stuck around for the social afterwards as well, putting in that extra effort to play host to the Jills of Columbus. The team had a great time hanging out and partying in the Arena-District-esque area of Downtown Milwaukee with a crawl that took them from AJ Bombers to Fitzgibbons to Trinity.

Overall, it w as a successful weekend, and the start of many more positive waves for these Jills.

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