Selections made for Can-Am Series in Chula Vista
UPDATE | March 26
Phaidra Knight has been called into the USA Women’s Eagles’ Can-Am camp in place of Sam Pankey.
CHULA VISTA, Calif. – The USA Women’s Eagles will assemble at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center starting Thursday, March 23, for two Can-Am Series matches against Rugby Canada’s third-ranked international side.
Thirty-four athletes in total could be called upon for match days Tuesday, March 28, and Saturday, April 1, with several others attending but unavailable for selection due to injury. The first international test for the Eagles in 2017 will be streamed live via USA Rugby’s Facebook page Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets are still available for the Saturday match – the final test ahead of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 – which will be broadcast live on The Rugby Channel to subscribers at 6 p.m. ET
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“We are excited to host our northern neighbors, and hope that the San Diego rugby community will be able to support the Women’s Eagles and come out and watch the team play one of the top teams in the world,” Head Coach Pete Steinberg said. “This is the first chance we have had this cycle to bring all the players together, and I think we have the opportunity to do something special in Ireland.”
The Eagles played five tests in 2016, including one match against border rival Canada at the Salt Lake City-hosted Women’s Rugby Super Series. Eighteen players that saw action in Utah and a further three athletes that traveled to France for a two-match November Tour have been included in the Can-Am assembly, while eight could debut on the international stage next week.
Stacey Bridges, the most-capped Eagle in the squad with 27 appearances, is one of five Women’s Rugby World Cup veterans available to Steinberg and staff. Prop Sarah Chobot, a U.S. captain at the 2015 Super Series, will arrive in Southern California following the first match day to replace forward Baylee Annis. Young Hope Rogers – captain on the November Tour – as well as Cheta Emba and Kate Zackary are unavailable due to injury, but will be in attendance at camp to strengthen the team’s continuity through the year.
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Alev Kelter leads a group of 11 athletes training full-time in Chula Vista that will vie for roster spots against Canada, with the Women’s Eagles Sevens captain and teammate Joanne Fa’avesi having earned XVs debuts in November. Capped on the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series, 19-year-old Kayla Canett, Hunter Griendling, Kelly Griffin, Bulou Mataitoga, Ashley Perry, Kristine Sommer, and Kristen Thomas are all in line for their own debuts.
Rogers and Sam Pankey have benefitted from the new XVs residency program at the Training Center, which has seen them both make the move to the sevens squad for recent Series legs. The coordination between the two codes is strengthened even further by the addition of Sevens Head Coach Richie Walker to Steinberg’s coaching staff. Walker has worked to identify and bring up athletes to the senior level in both forms of the game, and brings an extra attacking perspective to the XVs Eagles. Seattle Saracens’ forwards coach, Liz Kirk, has also been added to the staff.
“I am excited to be working with Liz and Richie at the Can-Am,” Steinberg said. “Liz brings a wealth of experience as an Eagle and a coach and has already had a big impact on our pack. In addition to working with Richie domestically, I saw firsthand what a great coach he is at the Olympics in Rio.
“New player and coach combinations offer challenges, but we have a schedule this summer that will give us all time to continue to build on what we have done over the last three years. Games like this are critical for us to get those combinations working together.”
The Eagles hold a slim advantage in the border rivalry with 18 wins from 34 matches. Canada, runner-up to England at the World Cup in 2014, won four of six matches played in 2016, including a defeat of the U.S. in Utah. The 35th and 36th meetings will determine the winner of the Can-Am Series and the Can-Am Trophy, which will be presented to the team that aggregates the most points by the conclusion of the April 1 match.
The Tuesday matchup will be played behind closed doors, but Saturday’s event is open to the public. Tickets start at $10 if purchased online and can be acquired for $15 at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center. The match will be held at the venue’s South Field and is set to be broadcast live on The Rugby Channel.
USA Women’s Eagles | Can-Am Series
Baylee Annis – Seattle Saracens [su_stats cms=”945″ class=”icon”]
Kathryn Augustyn – Berkeley All Blues [su_stats cms=”644″ class=”icon”]
Catherine Benson – Life West [su_stats cms=”773″ class=”icon”]
Sylvia Braaten – Twin Cities Amazons [su_stats cms=”646″ class=”icon”]
Stacey Bridges – Twin Cities Amazons [su_stats cms=”646″ class=”icon”]
Kayla Canett* – Pennsylvania State University [su_stats cms=”753″ class=”icon”]
Ryan Carlyle – Women’s Eagles Sevens [su_usa class=”icon”]
Sarah Chobot – Glendale Raptors [su_stats cms=”642″ class=”icon”]
Joanne Fa’avesi – Women’s Eagles Sevens [su_usa class=”icon”]
Tiffany Faaee – New York Rugby Club [su_stats cms=”647″ class=”icon”]
Tess Feury – Pennsylvania State University [su_stats cms=”753″ class=”icon”]
Megan Foster – Life West [su_stats cms=”773″ class=”icon”]
Jordan Gray – Life West [su_stats cms=”773″ class=”icon”]
Hunter Griendling* – San Diego Surfers [su_stats cms=”643″ class=”icon”]
Kelly Griffin* – Unattached
Nicole Heavirland – Women’s Eagles Sevens [su_usa class=”icon”]
Alev Kelter – Women’s Eagles Sevens [su_usa class=”icon”]
Molly Kinsella – San Diego Surfers [su_stats cms=”643″ class=”icon”]
Joanna Kitlinski – Glendale Raptors [su_stats cms=”642″ class=”icon”]
Phaidra Knight – New York Rugby Club [su_stats cms=”647″ class=”icon”]
Bulou Mataitoga* – Women’s Eagles Sevens [su_usa class=”icon”]
Samantha Pankey – San Diego Surfers [su_stats cms=”643″ class=”icon”]
Sara Parsons – Northern Virginia Rugby [su_stats cms=”490″ class=”icon”]
Annakaren Pedraza* – Lindenwood University [su_stats cms=”1016″ class=”icon”]
Ashley Perry* – American Rugby Pro Training Center [su_stats cms=”1043″ class=”icon”]
Christiane Pheil – Chicago North Shore [su_stats cms=”469″ class=”icon”]
Naima Reddick – Seattle Saracens [su_stats cms=”945″ class=”icon”]
Jamila Reinhardt – San Diego Surfers [su_stats cms=”643″ class=”icon”]
Kristine Sommer* – Seattle Saracens [su_stats cms=”945″ class=”icon”]
Kelsi Stockert – Women’s Eagles Sevens [su_usa class=”icon”]
Nicole Strasko – Women’s Eagles Sevens [su_usa class=”icon”]
Naya Tapper – Women’s Eagles Sevens [su_usa class=”icon”]
Kristen Thomas* – Women’s Eagles Sevens [su_usa class=”icon”]
Alycia Washington – New York Rugby Club [su_stats cms=”647″ class=”icon”]
Jess Wooden – Aylesford Rugby Club [su_flag country=”en”]
*Indicates player uncapped at international test level
USA Women’s Eagles | Non-Traveling Reserves
Abby Gustaitis – Northern Virginia Rugby [su_stats cms=”490″ class=”icon”]
Rebekah Hebdon – Brigham Young University [su_stats cms=”971″ class=”icon”]
Nicole Snyder – Bloomsburg University [su_stats cms=”1891″ class=”icon”]
USA Women’s Eagles | Unavailable/Injured
Kate Daley – New York Rugby Club [su_stats cms=”647″ class=”icon”]
Cheta Emba* – Women’s Eagles Sevens [su_usa class=”icon”]
Hope Rogers* – San Diego Surfers [su_stats cms=”643″ class=”icon”]
Kimber Rozier – Scion Sirens [su_stats cms=”1047″ class=”icon”]
Kate Zackary* – San Diego Surfers [su_stats cms=”643″ class=”icon”]
*Will be in attendance but unavailable for selection
USA Women’s Eagles | Coaching Staff
Pete Steinberg – Head Coach
Richie Walker – Assistant Coach
Liz Kirk – Assistant Coach
Adam Russell – HP Director
Sarah Leslie – Physiotherapist
Bri Arsenault – Physiotherapist
Michelle Look – Physician
Ian Gibbons – Strength and Conditioning
Caitlin Singletary – Video Analyst
Jake Reed – Analyst
Amie Kern – Assistant Manager & Massage Therapist
Roshna Wunderlich – Manager
USA Women’s Eagles | Can-Am Series
v. Canada – Tuesday, March 28 @ 7 p.m. ET
v. Canada – Saturday, April 1 @ 6 p.m. ET
