Commanders host first-ever women's college flag game at BigBear.ai Training Center
BigBear.ai Training Center at Commanders Park delivered a treat on Valentine's Day weekend in the form of a full-fledged collegiate women's flag game between Marymount University and the University of Virginia.
"It was so cool. Honestly, I don't think there's a better way to describe being in that bubble," UVA junior Julia Murray said. "We were all so excited. It's not that common we get to play on turf like that."
The contest was the first of its kind to be hosted at the facility in Ashburn, Virginia, as the franchise continues its holistic, year-round approach to growing the sport in the region. For the two participating teams who are in different spots in developing their programs, the scrimmage was a key event in the ramp-up to the spring season.
The Saturday affair was the second meeting between the Cavaliers and Saints. This year's clash represented an increased level of formality to the action as UVA's program, which is run and coached completely by student-athletes, got official Contracted Independent (CIO) status, recently was admitted to an athletic conference and continues to grow in legitimacy as a club sport in the Mid-Atlantic.
Meanwhile, Marymount University, led by head coach Mike Rivera, is on its quest for a third consecutive run as Atlantic East Conference champions. For the Arlington, Virginia, school that has emerged as a juggernaut in women's college flag, the Valentine's Day game was an ideal litmus test.
"We had a great year last year, a great team, but there's turnover every year," Rivera said. "We have a bunch of really, really exciting freshmen that have come in, and you just don't know until you start playing what they're gonna do. So, we were really happy with the way they played."
As for UVA, the squad's oldest player is only a junior, and most of the women on the roster didn't have familiarity with the sport prior to joining the team. Murray, for example, only came for tryouts after learning about the young club via a flyer in a dorm. Much of their program's focus has been on getting as much game time as possible.
"It's so important for us to really put together all of our game IQ and agility and skills and all that into actual gameplay," Murray said. "The only way to do that is just to keep playing more and more games, so that was such a great opportunity for us."
While the teams brought the action, the Commanders brought the fanfare.
"It was really fun and different and special," Rivera said. "The support of the Commanders staff was really great."
All student-athletes from both teams were gifted plenty of swag. Major Tuddy, Washington Legend Josh Morgan and staff from the business and football operations helped make sure the event ran smoothly and was extra hype.
The Commanders mascot even hopped over to the UVA sideline to draw up a play.
"It was probably one of the most fun games we've ever been to," Murray said with a laugh.
Videographers and photographers captured all that fun. That content will be helpful from a promotional perspective for UVA, who is pushing to, as Murray describes, "get the word out about the club."
"We're trying to get a lot more fans, and we'd like to be hosting just bigger and bigger tryouts each year," the offensive captain said. "This year at the end of February will be the first time that we get to host a home game."
The Commanders are hungry to do their part in growing the game, whether that effort looks like putting on clinics, providing a place to play or turning what could be a run-of-the-mill matchup into a day to be remembered forever.
"They went above and beyond," Rivera said. "It was more than we could have asked for."
