NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., September 7, 2018 – Under the tutelage of new head coach Tiffany Faaee, the Monroe College women's rugby team heads into the program's second season with high hopes after an incredibly successful first season as a program.
 
Monroe finished its first season with a 5-1 overall record. Monroe won the first five games in program history last year, all against Tri-State Conference opponents. The Mustangs suffered their first-ever loss in the Tri-State Conference Championship game, falling to Fordham University by a score of 22-14.
 
The Mustangs have been working hard for three weeks to prepare for Saturday's opening contest at Hofstra University. It has been a grueling few weeks for the Mustangs, as they have been learning to mesh again in excessive heat and difficult weather to get ready for the new season. Coach Faaee chronicled what the Mustangs have been going through and what she expects from the team to start the season.
 

The players have been working hard focusing on fitness and fundamentals. For the most part, when we're not doing contact, I have combined the men and women, especially around the skills and fitness. The women's team definitely has more experienced rugby players, where a lot of the men's players are new to sport, but are very athletic and learning each day. The combined effort have been complimenting each other. Both experience and athleticism will be key in building the platform we need to grow throughout the season.

            -Head Coach Tiffany Faaee
 
The practices have been difficult, according to Faaee, but she believes that is how it should be. She said that practices should be the hard part, and come game time, it is about having fun and trusting your training and the team's processes. Faaee is excited to see what the players will do out on the field on Saturday because it will show where they are as a squad and give her a good indicator of what they will need to build and grow throughout the season.
 
The Mustangs open the season on Saturday, Sept. 8, when they visit Hofstra in Hempstead, N.Y. for a Tri-State Conference South Division contest at 11 a.m. They will then play at Fairfield University on Friday, Sept. 14, in another South-Division matchup. Division play continues on Sunday, Sept. 23, with a trip to Stony Brook University. They follow that up with their final regular-season divisional game at the University of New Haven on Saturday, Sept. 29. The Mustangs will visit the North Division's Drew University on Sunday, Oct. 7, to close out the regular season.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 28 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, and the newly added club men's volleyball team, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus as of the fall of 2017, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe College Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).