Women's Selects named for battle with England Academy
LONDON, ENG. – The USA Women’s Selects (15s) have been named for a developmental game with England Academy Tuesday, Nov 13 at 2:30 PM ET at Newbury RFC in England.
The Selects will be led by Senior Women’s Eagles Head Coach Rob Cain in a game designed to boost preparation ahead of the Women’s National Team’s test match with Ireland Sunday, Nov. 18.
USA players for the developmental game have been selected from the Eagles’ traveling roster for the Autumn Internationals 2018. Veteran Women’s Eagle Katy Augustyn will serve as Captain for the group, which includes several newly capped athletes and four players who have yet to debut for the senior national team.
Among the newcomers are starters Darian Lovelace and Cortney Keuhl, as well as reserves Tiana A’au and Frankie Sands. While all four take the pitch for the first time this November, A’au recently competed against an England side with the Women’s Junior All-Americans’ at the U20 Tri-Nations Cup this summer.
Similarly, 13 players from the match-day 23 suited up last weekend in the USA’s test match against the Red Roses, giving the United States women a good depth of knowledge heading into Wednesday.
The England Academy match will undoubtedly be another challenge for the growing women’s program to overcome, with the value of playing a highly competitive side immeasurable.
Head Coach Rob Cain said: “This is a great opportunity for our players to use this game as a platform for their inclusion in our final test against Ireland this Sunday. The tour has been set at a ferocious pace and it has been great to have the players for 12 days now. Their work rate and attitude have been first class and we are all excited to see them continue to raise the bar from our last match. We know how talented England A will be and it’s a great opportunity to continue to measure our daily improvements as a squad.”
Though the match will not be broadcast live, updates will be available by following @USARugby on Twitter.
USA Women’s Selects Starting Roster
| Player Name | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nick James | Prop | Houston Athletic |
| 2. Katy Augustyn (C) | Hooker | Berkeley All Blues |
| 3. Melissa Finkelstein | Prop | Glendale Merlins |
| 4. McKenna Strong | Lock | Lindenwood University |
| 5. Alycia Washington | Lock | New York Rugby |
| 6. Joyce Taufa | Flanker | Lindenwood University |
| 7. Kristine Sommer | Flanker | Harlequins (ENG) / Seattle Saracens |
| 8. Darian Lovelace | No. 8 | Atlanta Harlequins |
| 9. Carly Waters | Scrumhalf | New York Rugby |
| 10. McKenzie Hawkins | Flyhalf | Lindenwood University |
| 11. Sarah Levy | Wing | New York Rugby |
| 12. Megan Foster | Center | San Diego Surfers |
| 13. Cortney Kuehl | Center | Atlanta Harlequins |
| 14. Evan Hoese | Wing | Berkeley All Blues |
| 15. Jennine Duncan | Fullback | Seattle Saracens |
USA Women’s Selects Reserves
| Player Name | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 16. Joanna Kitlinski | Reserve | Glendale Merlins |
| 17. Azniv Nalbandian | Reserve | Penn State University |
| 18. Tiana A’au | Reserve | Central Washington University |
| 19. Anna Karen Pedraza | Reserve | Lindenwood University |
| 20. Meya Bizer | Reserve | Women’s Sevens Residency |
| 21. Kimber Rozier | Reserve | Beantown Rugby |
| 22. Kelsi Stockert | Reserve | Women’s Sevens Residency |
| 23. Frankie Sands | Reserve | Northumbria / Darlington Rugby (ENG) |
USA Women’s Selects Staff
Head Coach | Rob Cain
Assistant Coach | Richard Ashfield
Assistant Coach | Kate Daley
Assistant Coach & Team Manager | Jamie Burke
Head of Physical Performance | Ian Jones
Head Performance Analyst | David Gardner
Team Doctor | Terrence Cronin
Head Athletic Trainer | Bri Arsenault
Assistant Athletic Trainer | Katherine Henry
