High school rugby is a full-contact sport, and in the past, it has been a male-dominated sport. Last year, that all changed when current sophomore Anja Soltesz stepped on the field. Being the only female on the field is an empowering moment, according to Anja.

It is Anja’s second year playing the male-dominated sport of rugby, seeing as she only started playing her freshman year. She wanted to try wrestling but was advised against it, so she took on rugby.  Soltesz’s older brother has been playing at Boston College High School and always thought it would be cool for Anja to try. Ultimately, she was happy with her decision.

During the season last year, Anja noticed there were no other girls on the teams they played. This year, she’s trying to recruit some of her friends to get involved in the sport. Being the only girl on the team, Anja says she “gets a sense of pride” and that it’s “cool to be the only girl,” especially when her team is a second friend group that equally respects her.

The team itself resembles a family environment, and Anja feels very comfortable with the boys on the team. Senior captain Alexander Shooshan says Anja had a great season last year and had a few memorable plays when “she knocked around some guys on the other team,” which is hard to do in the sport in general, let alone as a freshman.