Posts

Australia falls from Atlanta 7s Cup contention with loss to Eagles in Quartefinal

/in /by

KENNESAW, Ga. – The Women’s Eagles Sevens knocked the second-ranked team in the 2014-15 World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series standings – Australia – out of the Cup round with a 10-5 victory in the Atlanta 7s Cup Quarterfinal Sunday.

Kathryn Johnson and Kristen Thomas scored the Eagles’ tries in front of a cheering crowd wearing red, white, and blue at Fifth Third Bank Stadium at Kennesaw State University, where the U.S. will play Russia a second time in as many days in the Cup Semifinal.

The match began swimmingly for the Australians, who took a lead within seconds of the kickoff. Chloe Dalton’s kick bounced directly behind the 10-meter line and backwards, over the head of Alev Kelter. Australia got ahold of the ball and the second pass found Emilee Cherry, who made Joanne Fa’avesi miss for the opening score.

The unsuccessful conversion kept the lead to 5-0, and the match was just as tight for the remaining 13 minutes. While tight, penalties and physical encounters in the breakdowns forced stoppages throughout the match.

Australian momentum was halted in the third minute with what seemed to be a break along the touch line ended due to a forward pass. Fa’avesi helped the Eagles gain midfield following the turnover with a charging run through a defender, but their own attack was taken into touch for a turnover.

Lauren Doyle and Bui Baravilala kept Cherry from doubling her try-scoring tally in the fifth minute by chasing down last season’s Player of the Year and taking her into touch. The U.S. was awarded a scrum as opposed to a lineout and kept the ball through phases and Australian penalties. One such penalty within 20 meters of the try line forced the referee to show a yellow card to Dalton.

Baravilala took the quick tap from the stoppage and flipped a pass to Johnson, who only needed a dummy pass and a cut to the inside to outsmart her defender into the try zone. Baravilala’s conversion missed over the left post by inches, keeping the match level at 5-5.

Doyle made a try-saving tackle to end the half with a long chase on Cherry once again, drawing praise from Eagles Head Coach Ric Suggitt.

“Doyle was superb chasing back and had some good line breaks that got us going forward,” he said following the match. “We’re pretty proud of her performance today [after not getting] many minutes [Saturday].”

Neither team had taken hold of the match, shown by the score and intensity of the half-time team talks.

The battle continued in the second half with the Eagles’ restart. Johnson nearly knocked it backwards to a teammate but it traveled forward for a scrum. Doyle again used her pace and composure to make a lung-busting tackle to cut Charlotte Caslick’s run short at the Eagles’ 22.

The two teams traded possession until the 12th minute, in which the Eagles steadily made their way deeper and deeper into Australia’s half. While penalties against their opposition helped, the Eagles did well to not run away from support and keep hold of the ball in the tackle.

The Eagles turned over possession with a penalty 15 meters from the try line in the 13th minute, and the referee was forced to take time off of the clock for injuries and tired bodies on the field. Thomas was one of the substitutions made, while Australia lost two players to injury.

The second-ranked team played patient rugby in the final minute of the match, and Sharni Williams pushed Folayan over with ball in hand before her team coughed up possession with a dropped pass.

Doyle drew a penalty at Australia’s 10 to set up the Eagles’ attack and later in the play broke a tackle for a few extra meters, which proved crucial. The ball was swung wide to Thomas, who tucked it away and dotted down in the corner for the match-winning try.

The 10-5 victory ensures a top-four finish for the Eagles, a goal the team preaches prior to each tournament.

“On any given day I think Australia and New Zealand are one-two or two-one,” Suggitt said. “We’re happy to get that victory. That’s a quality team the girls beat. It gets us into the top four.

“[Fa’avesi], again, had a remarkable performance. She missed an early tackle on a short kickoff but we bounced back. Yesterday we didn’t bounce back. Today they started to show their real character, that they will bounce back; they can dust off those little mishaps and jump back into the game.”

Russia blanked England, 24-0, in the final Quarterfinal Sunday, setting up a rematch of Saturday’s Pool A encounter. The Eagles defeated the Russians, 19-12, to qualify for the Cup round as a second-place pool finisher, while Russia was one of the two third-place qualifiers.

Entrance into the Cup Semifinal ensures the Eagles gain at least 14 points in the Series standings, though a possible 20 could be won.

“We can’t get carried away,” Suggitt said. “We still have lots of work to do. It’s only one win. I let them go [after the match] and let them enjoy the moment, then we’ll carry on.”

New Zealand will play Canada in the other Cup Semifinal to determine the Eagles’ final opponent of Atlanta 7s. The Cup Semifinal between the U.S. and Russia is scheduled to kick off at 4:12 p.m. ET. Atlanta 7s can be followed live on Twitter with updates from @USARugby and viewed live online on World Rugby’s website.

Women’s Eagles Sevens | v. Australia
1. Megan Bonny
2. Kelly Griffin
3. Kathryn Johnson
4. Bui Baravilala
5. Jessica Javelet
6. Kristen Thomas
7. Victoria Folayan
8. Alev Kelter
9. Hannah Lopez
10. Kate Zackary
11. Joanne Fa’avesi
12. Lauren Doyle

Australia | v. USA
1. Shannon Parry
2. Sharni Williams
3. Tiana Penitani
4. Brooke Walker
5. Emma Tonegato
6. Evania Pelite
7. Charlotte Caslick
8. Chloe Dalton
9. Amy Turner
10. Alicia Quirk
11. Emilee Cherry
12. Ellia Green

Women’s Eagles Sevens | 10
Tries: Johnson, Thomas
Conversions: N/A

Australia | 5
Tries: Cherry
Conversions: N/A

Women’s Eagles Sevens | Atlanta 7s
v South Africa – W 36-5
v Russia – W 19-12
v New Zealand – L 57-0
Cup Quarterfinal v Australia – W 10-5
v Russia – Sunday, March 15 – 4:12 p.m. ET

Cup Final awaits Eagles after second defeat of Russia at Atlanta 7s

/in /by

KENNESAW, Ga. – The Women’s Eagles Sevens defeated Russia, 19-14, Sunday for the second time at Atlanta 7s to book their first trip to a Cup Final since Houston 7s during the inaugural World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series in 2013.

Lauren Doyle scored a spectacular individual try in the Cup Semifinal and Victoria Folayan brought her tournament total to five tries scored with two in the first half at Fifth Third Bank Stadium at Kennesaw State University. Russian captain Ekaterina Kazakova added two second-half tries for her side in a match featuring two yellow cards.

The first yellow card was shown to Baizat Khamidova seconds into the match after clashing with Kathryn Johnson on the kickoff. The Eagles were not able to score with the advantage, but they wore down Russia with attacks into their opposition’s half.

Bui Baravilala nearly set Doyle away for the first try in the fourth minute around Russia’s 22. Doyle kept up with her teammate and received the pass, but the Women’s Rugby World Cup Eagle mishandled the return pass and lost it into touch. The Eagles regained possession with strong defensive work to win a penalty within a few phases and a fend on the winger was all Folayan needed to open the scoring.

The Eagles were tenacious in their work rate throughout the match, just as they were in their 10-5 upset of second-ranked Australia in the Cup Quarterfinal. Joanne Fa’avesi and Johnson combined for several tackles one after another along the touch line in the Eagles’ half. A phase later, Russia turned over possession.

Doyle was brought into touch with a high tackle at the Eagles’ 10, setting up the U.S.’s attack with a fresh platform. Russia got the ball back when the Eagles reached their opposition’s 22, but the strong defensive shape did not leave much room for Russia to move.

With time expired on the clock, Russia decided not to end the half with a kick to touch, instead looking to lessen the deficit. With the defensive line intact, the Eagles forced Russia to move the ball through hands, where Doyle jumped on a pass to break free for a try. Baravilala successfully kicked the conversion to bring the score to 12-0 at the break.

Russia shut out England by a wide margin in its Cup Quarterfinal, while it took a last-second try from New Zealand to avoid an upset by the Bears in pool play Saturday. The Eagles finished their tackles and stayed disciplined to earn their halftime lead.

“Russia’s a really good team,” Eagles Head Coach Ric Suggitt said after the match. “They’re physical and they play straight-up rugby on you, so you have to be courageous and make your tackles.

“Sevens is such a game that it can go either way. It went our way in the first half and it went Russia’s way in the second half.”

Alev Kelter was sent to the sin bin in the ninth minute for a dangerous tackle, giving Russia the advantage of an extra player on the pitch. The tables turned as the momentum swung in favor of the Eagles, however. A penalty against Russia awarded the Eagles the ball and Megan Bonny set up Folayan for a third Eagles try. Baravilala’s second conversion extended the lead to 19-0.

With every point earned at a Series stop valuable in the battle for Rio 2016 qualification, Russia sought the try zone just as much as it would have in the first minute of a scoreless match. Kazakova dotted down for her first try a minute after Folayan’s second, and she used up the rest of her energy to score another just as the final horn blew, bringing the score to 19-14.

The Eagles improved to 6-2 against Russia on the circuit with the win, which followed the 19-12 victory in pool play Saturday. The Cup Final berth means the U.S. will jump England into fifth place in the Series standings with three legs remaining, but the Eagles are not thinking of the standings with New Zealand on the horizon.

New Zealand humbled the Eagles in the teams’ final Pool A match Saturday, while the Kiwis are undefeated against the U.S. on the circuit.

“[New Zealand has] the upper hand on us so we’re going to have to be mature about what we’re doing on the field and play with some courage,” Suggitt said.

The head coach also mentioned wanting to play the best team on the Series twice at every tournament to prove they belong in the top four last week.

“Well, we had to work hard to get our wish this time,” he said. “They laid a thumping to us [Saturday] like we were Bambi in the forest. This time around we better make sure we’re the animal and not just the deer. We have to get out there and prove our worth, and I think the girls will do that.”

By reaching the Cup Final, the Eagles will gain at least 18 points in the Series standings. With England’s seventh-place playoff appearance keeping the Roses to a maximum of eight points, the U.S. will jump to fifth in the standings when Atlanta 7s wraps.

The Eagles and New Zealand will begin their 20-minute Cup Final at 7:24 p.m. ET. Atlanta 7s can be viewed live on World Rugby’s Women’s Sevens Series website and live match updates will be provided by @USARugby on Twitter.

Women’s Eagles Sevens | v. Russia
1. Megan Bonny
2. Kelly Griffin
3. Kathryn Johnson
4. Bui Baravilala
5. Jessica Javelet
6. Kristen Thomas
7. Victoria Folayan
8. Alev Kelter
9. Hannah Lopez
10. Kate Zackary
11. Joanne Fa’avesi
12. Lauren Doyle

Russia | v. USA
1. Yulia Guzeva
2. Kristina Seredina
3. Ekaterina Kabeeva
4. Alena Bogacheva
5. Baizat Khamidova
6. Anna Malygina
7. Maria Shemchuk
8. Marina Kukina
9. Nadezda Kudinova
10. Ekaterina Kazakova
11. Anastasiia Mukhariamova
12. Mariia Titova

Women’s Eagles Sevens | 19
Tries: Folayan (2), Doyle
Conversions: Baravilala (2)

Russia | 14
Tries: Kazakova (2)
Conversions: Kudinova (2)

Women’s Eagles Sevens | Atlanta 7s
v South Africa – W 36-5
v Russia – W 19-12
v New Zealand – L 57-0
Cup Quarterfinal v Australia – W 10-5
Cup Semifinal v Russia – W 19-14
Cup Final v New Zealand – Sunday, March 15 – 7:24 p.m. ET

Eagles start hot at Atlanta 7s with Folayan hat trick, defeat of South Africa

/in /by

KENNESAW, Ga. – The Women’s Eagles Sevens welcomed international rugby back to Georgia in style Saturday with a 36-5 defeat of South Africa in their first match of Atlanta 7s at Fifth Third Bank Stadium at Kennesaw State University.

The Eagles’ all-time leading points leader, Victoria Folayan, recorded a first-half hat trick and Kate Zackary honored her debut with the team’s final try in the opening win of the third leg of the 2014-15 World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series.

Joanne Fa’avesi snagged the kickoff for U.S. possession straight away, and it was barely a minute before Folayan streaked away from her opposite number at midfield for the opening score. Alev Kelter brought the Eagles to their own 10 with a charging run up the middle and Jessica Javelet gained midfield, then Akalaini Baravilala made the final assist to Folayan. Baravilala was also responsible for the conversion, which was kicked successfully for a 7-0 lead.

The Springbok Women managed to hold possession for a few phases following the restart, but a forward pass was called just inside their own half. The Eagles won the scrum and a nifty switch pass from Javelet opened a hole for Folayan’s second try. Baravilala put the conversion through the uprights for a perfect, 14-0, start.

South Africa nearly struck back within a minute of the kickoff with Zenay Jordaan stepping through the defensive line. Javelet, in the sweeper’s position, kept up with the opposition’s captain and made the tackle. The Eagles turned over possession moments later and extended the lead in spectacular fashion.

Baravilala was taken down at midfield and the ball flung out to Folayan in almost the exact spot from which she scored her two previous tries. The speedster went into contact against three defenders but managed to spin away from each to run, unopposed, into the try zone for a 21-0 lead.

Javelet capped the half with a try after the Eagles won a penalty inside South Africa’s 22. Kelly Griffin took the quick tap and the ball went through her hands to Baravilala, then to the try-scorer. The Eagles led at the half, 26-0.

Eagles Head Coach Ric Suggitt gave his charges a moment to collect themselves after a blistering start to the match before joining the half-time team talk. With Russia nearly causing an upset against New Zealand in Pool A’s first match of the day, it was important the Eagles took care of their own business.

“I think you need to score first and – if you don’t – don’t panic,” Suggitt said of the first half after the match. “I think the girls did a good job with that. They didn’t panic. We had a couple moments where we got ‘Harry Caray,’ but more often than not they showed good composure.”

The second half did not begin in the same way as the first for the Eagles, as South Africa pushed forward through each phase towards the U.S.’s try zone. Javelet could not keep Mathrin Simmers from scoring in the corner in the ninth minute, but the tough-angled conversion was well wide to keep the Eagles in command at 26-5.

Suggitt inserted some fresh legs into the match beginning in the 11th minute with Zackary making her Women’s Sevens Series debut. Lauren Doyle and Kristen Thomas also took to the pitch, and the AIG Women’s Collegiate All-American from the University of Central Florida wasted no time in getting her team back on the board.

The Eagles won their own scrum deep in their half and immediately sent the ball wide to the substitute, who ran around one defender and more than 80 meters of the pitch to dot down in-goal. Kathryn Johnson’s conversion from in front of the posts bounced back at her, but the Eagles’ lead was intact at 31-5.

“The start of the second half is always a concern, right? When you get a little bit of a lead you can’t let your foot off the gas pedal and we did,” Suggitt said. “Credit to the girls who started the game with a pretty good tempo. Then, when Kristen [Thomas] came in – that’s her job, to score tries like Victoria. Give them the ball and let them take off and run. It’s a great one-two punch to have right now.”

A great team try finished the match off for the Eagles, who are playing in front of a home crowd this weekend in Atlanta. Doyle used Thomas as a decoy inside South Africa’s 10 to gain a few extra meters. The U.S. kept possession and a Johnson ran down the touch line alongside a couple of defenders. She fended one tackler and stayed in bounds before offloading to the onrushing Zackary for the debutants first career try.

With Thomas and Zackary each making their Series debuts in back-to-back tournaments, Baravilala fitting in seamlessly after two years away from the team, and veteran Folayan adding three tries for the Eagles, Suggitt’s side threatened South Africa across the pitch.

“We’re getting there,” Suggitt said. “I still think we’re a couple months short of where we should have been. I thought we’d be at this stage probably [in São Paulo]. Credit to the team; they’ve buckled down and have done a really good job. They’re a fun team to watch play sevens.”

New Zealand’s close call against Russia puts the Eagles atop Pool A with a superior, plus-31 point differential. The U.S. will continue its Atlanta 7s campaign against Russia at 4:34 p.m. ET. Watch Atlanta 7s live on World Rugby’s Women’s Sevens World Series website and follow match updates from Fifth Third Bank Stadium at Kennesaw State University on Twitter with @USARugby.

Women’s Eagles Sevens | v. South Africa
1. Megan Bonny
2. Kelly Griffin
3. Kathryn Johnson
4. Bui Baravilala
5. Jessica Javelet
6. Kristen Thomas
7. Victoria Folayan
8. Alev Kelter
9. Hannah Lopez
10. Kate Zackary
11. Joanne Fa’avesi
12. Lauren Doyle

South Africa | v. USA
1. Siviwe Basweni
2. Rachelle Geldenhuys
3. Sunelle Barnard
4. Fundiswa Plaatjie
5. Zenay Jordaan
6. Zaandre Theron
7. Phumeza Gadu
8. Nosiphiwo Goda
9. Sinazo Nobele
10. Mathrin Simmers
11. Hackie Kriel
12. Marithay Pienaar

Women’s Eagles Sevens | 36
Tries: Folayan (3), Javelet, Thomas, Zackary
Conversions: Baravilala (3),

South Africa | 5
Tries: Simmers
Conversions: N/A

Women’s Eagles Sevens | Atlanta 7s
v South Africa – W 36-5
v Russia – Saturday, March 14 – 4:34 p.m. ET
v New Zealand – Saturday, March 14 – 6:56 p.m. ET

New Zealand handles Eagles in final pool match of Atlanta 7s

/in /by

KENNESAW, Ga. – The Women’s Eagles Sevens were humbled in front of their home crowd at Fifth Third Bank Stadium at Kennesaw State University Saturday night in a 57-0 loss to 2014-15 World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series-leading New Zealand.

The Eagles end day one at Atlanta 7s – the home leg of the Series – with a 2-1 record following victories against South Africa and Russia. The wins earn Ric Suggitt’s squad a place in the Cup round for day two, which is reserved for the top eight teams from day one. Second place in Pool A sets up the Eagles for a match against Australia.

The match did not start with points on the board for New Zealand, but it took less than two minutes for Kayla McAlister to score. Sarah Goss jumped high above Joanne Fa’avesi to recover the restart for her team, though early defensive pressure from the Eagles kept New Zealand at bay for a few moments. The defending Series champion moved the ball from touch line to touch line, which opened enough of a gap in the Eagles’ shape for McAlister to break through inside the 22. Jessica Javelet gave chase, but McAlister was too strong for the sweeper.

The try caused the Eagles to trail for the first time at Atlanta 7s, and they would not find a way back into the match. Goss knocked the ensuing restart for an Eagles scrum. New Zealand won the ball back, however, and McAlister broke free before being taken down inches from the line. The former World Rugby Player of the Year chose not to risk double movement and found Kelly Brazier for the try.

Goss again earned possession for her side with a jump on the restart, but the Eagles stole it after a few phases. They could not get out of their own 22, and Series-leading try-scorer Portia Woodman counterrucked alone and took the ball directly up the middle for a try under the posts and a 19-0 lead.

“[Goss] did a great job in the air and we didn’t respond well,” Suggitt said after the match. “We’ve been working on it, but, again, when you’re the best in the world at it, it’s a tough one.

“We missed our first-time tackles, they got running away on us, and the rest is history. We’re not a team yet that can come back from big scores on us. That’s where you learn.”

Javelet managed to catch the restart just before the half-time horn sounded, but she was immediately taken into touch, causing a turnover. Woodman scored within seconds of the ball retuning to the field of play for a 26-0 lead at the half.

McAlister added her second try of the match 20 seconds into the second frame, Ruby Tui scored twice in less than seven minutes of action, and New Zealand scored a total of five second-half tries for a 57-0 win.

The Eagles will not want to take too close of a look at their final pool play match at Atlanta 7s, which did not affect the team’s standing in the Cup draw. Only a 20-point (or more) win would have jumped the Eagles over New Zealand atop Pool A.

The match also does not put a damper on the good performances seen in wins against South Africa and Russia earlier in the day.

“I just told [the team] we’re going to flush that one down the toilet,” Suggitt said. “That’s done. We can never have that game back. We’ve been working hard on not worrying about one loss on day one. We can’t lose anything on day two. It’s a whole new day tomorrow.

“You’re only as good as your next game. We weren’t very good in our third game today. That’s the reality of it. We’ve played them well a couple of times; maybe we were a little overconfident because we were playing well today. It’ll be interesting to see how they respond.”

Australia won all three of its matches on day one in Atlanta. The second-place team in the Series standings shut out Fiji in its first match and ran away from Spain and France to finish in third place overall with a plus-65 point differential. England placed second overall in pool play with a plus-66 point differential.

The Eagles’ Cup Quarterfinal against Australia kicks off at 12:44 p.m. ET Sunday. Finals Day at Atlanta 7s can be viewed on World Rugby’s Women’s Sevens Series website. Match updates will be provided by @USARugby on Twitter.

Women’s Eagles Sevens | v. New Zealand
1. Megan Bonny
2. Kelly Griffin
3. Kathryn Johnson
4. Bui Baravilala
5. Jessica Javelet
6. Kristen Thomas
7. Victoria Folayan
8. Alev Kelter
9. Hannah Lopez
10. Kate Zackary
11. Joanne Fa’avesi
12. Lauren Doyle

New Zealand | v. USA
1. Ruby Tui
2. Honey Hireme
3. Hazel Tubic
4. Alexis Tapsell
5. Sarah Goss
6. Morgan Morrow
7. Tyla Nathan-Wong
8. Kelly Brazier
9. Michaela Blyde
10. Selica Winiata
11. Portia Woodman
12. Kayla McAlister

Women’s Eagles Sevens | 0
Tries: N/A
Conversions: N/A

New Zealand | 57
Tries: McAlister (2), Brazier (2), Woodman (2), Tui (2), Blyde
Conversions: Nathan-Wong (4), Winiata (2)

Women’s Eagles Sevens | Atlanta 7s
v South Africa – W 36-5
v Russia – W 19-12
v New Zealand – L 57-0
v Australia – Sunday, March 15 – 12:44 p.m. ET

Eagles miss opportunity in São Paulo Sevens Cup Quartefinal loss to New Zealand

/in /by

SÃO PAULO – The Women’s Eagles Sevens were one try away from upsetting the 2014-15 World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series leader in the São Paulo Sevens Cup Quarterfinal Sunday, but New Zealand held on for the 28-17 victory.

The Eagles drop to the Plate competition, where they will play tournament and Rio 2016 host Brazil in the Semifinal at 11:06 a.m. ET.

New Zealand kicked to the U.S. to start the match but quickly regained possession through early penalty trouble to Ric Suggitt’s team. The penalties ended up hurting the Eagles on the scoreboard in the third minute when Sarah Goss received the ball five meters from the try line and ran out of the reach of Lauren Doyle for the opening score.

New Zealand took the first lead in Saturday’s match against the Eagles, as well, but the game was by no means a carbon copy of the Pool A match. The Eagles won the restart and made their way into New Zealand’s half before a pass from Kathryn Johnson to Victoria Folayan missed hands. Johnson followed the ball and gained some extra meters before the Eagles swung the ball to the opposite side of the pitch for Lauren Doyle and the team’s first try. Johnson’s angled conversion missed wide, but the Eagles were able to cut into New Zealand’s lead at 7-5.

The tournament’s leading try scorer, Portia Woodman, was held scoreless in the first seven minutes of the match, but Charlotte Arnopp-Scanlan and Kayla McAlister made up for it with a try apiece to end the half. Jessica Javelet chased Arnopp-Scanlan to the corner of the try zone, but the Kiwi was able to stay in play and dot down, while New Zealand pounced on a turnover following the restart for McAlister to extend the halftime lead to 21-5.

Javelet got one back for the Eagles in the ninth minute with a darting run to the corner herself. McAlister made the tackle just outside the try line but Javelet was able to roll once to dot down in-goal. Johnson’s conversion did not have the legs to get over the crossbar to keep New Zealand’s two-score lead at 21-10.

Day one sensation Kristen Thomas added her fourth try in as many matches on the other side of the restart with a big fend in the middle of the pitch on Goss. Thomas’ try beneath the uprights gave Johnson an easy conversion to draw the Eagles closer at 21-17.

The Eagles were fortunate on the kickoff as New Zealand lost the ball forward, setting up a scrum around the Kiwis’ 22. Thomas passed to Javelet headed in the opposite direction, though the former field hockey player could not stay out of reach of the defenders. The ball came back to Thomas with pace up the middle, but the AIG Collegiate All-American dropped the ball in-goal between the posts.

The non-try signaled the end of the match for the Eagles, who gave up one more try to Woodman to set the final score at 28-17.

The improved performance by the Eagles compared to day one’s 35-12 loss to New Zealand could give them the impetus needed to win the Plate at Arena Barueri. Watch the Plate Semifinal between the Eagles and Brazil live on World Rugby’s website and follow match play-by-play on Twitter with @USARugby.

Women’s Eagles Sevens | v New Zealand
1. Kathryn Johnson
2. Kelly Griffin (C)
3. Megan Bonny
4. Hannah Lopez
5. Jessica Javelet
6. Lauren Doyle
7. Victoria Folayan
8. Alev Kelter
9. Joanne Fa’avesi
10. Dana Meschisi
11. Melissa Fowler
12. Kristen Thomas

Women’s Eagles Sevens | 17
Tries: Doyle, Javelet, Thomas
Conversions: Johnson

New Zealand | 28
Tries: Goss, Arnopp-Scanlan, McAlister, Woodman
Conversions: Nathan-Goss

Women’s Eagles Sevens | São Paulo Sevens
v. New Zealand – L 35-12
v. France – L 14-12
v. Spain – W 26-7
Cup QF v New Zealand – L 28-17
Plate SF v Brazil – Sunday, Feb. 8 – 11:06 a.m. ET

Sunshine State prevalent in Women's Eagles Sevens squad for São Paulo Sevens

/in /by

CHULA VISTA, Calif. – The Women’s Eagles Sevens will continue their 2014-15 World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series campaign next month at São Paulo Sevens with two substitutes made to the squad that finished seventh in Dubai.

AIG Women’s Collegiate All-American Kristen Thomas of University of Central Florida will travel with the Eagles for the first time in her career. She joins fellow Floridian and WCAA Dana Meschisi, who will make her first appearance on the circuit this season.

“[Thomas has] good size, good speed, and she’s got a great attitude,” Suggitt said of his newest Eagle. “We’ve had her out here for about a half dozen camps already. We’ve just been monitoring her progress and were fortunate enough to get her out for the last half of her school year.

“She still has her classes that she’s going to take and she’s going to be able to finish off her degree, but that was the biggest concern for all of us – that she was able to do both. She’s been able to do that and we’re happy to have her out.”

Thomas and other prospective Eagles suited up in the BLK kit last week when the women’s sevens teams of Canada and Ireland trained at the Olympic Training Center. Two days of scrimmages put each squad to the test, with the second day featuring full, 20-minute matches one would play in a Cup Final.

“We were trying to get ready so the girls aren’t shocked with the energy systems and how fatigued you might get just from being in the Final,” Suggitt said. “Ireland and Canada are all over that, especially Canada; they’ve been in Finals and know what it’s like. That put us under immense pressure.

“We’re not consistent so with the change in personnel we needed to get that look and that feel to really see what it was like.”

The Eagles have only been in one Cup Final out of 10 total events since the Women’s Sevens Series began with the 2012-13 season. The Final was a home match for the Eagles at Houston 7s at BBVA Compass Stadium.

The inclusions of Meschisi and Thomas meant two players would not be traveling to Brazil, the home of the Rio 2016 Olympic Summer Games. The coaching staff revisited the team’s performance at Emirates Dubai Rugby Sevens and pinpointed one aspect of the game that could elevate the Eagles’ play.

“We looked at the speed of our team and sort of where we were going to go from there,” Suggitt said. “The main changes we made were based around speed and the speed of sevens.

“Everyone works pretty hard, but there are two tireless workers on our team and one’s Amelia [Villines] and the other is Lorrie [Clifford]. Dana’s been practicing really well and so has Kristen when she’s come in, and they’re both pretty quick.”

Lauren Doyle and Jessica Javelet will also bring pace to Suggitt’s roster, while Kelly Griffin will captain the squad in Brazil. Victoria Folayan, who leads the Eagles in scoring and sits fourth in the Series’ player points table with 35, has fully recovered from an injury sustained in Dubai and has been selected for the trip. Last year, the Eagles defeated the host at São Paulo Sevens – then the third leg of the Series after Atlanta 7s – to win the Bowl.

The Eagles are in Pool A with France, New Zealand, and Spain, and will kick off their scheduled matches against the Series leader Saturday, Feb. 7, at 9:06 a.m. ET. Each leg of the 2014-15 World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series will be free to view live on the World Rugby website. Live match updates will also be provided on Twitter by @USARugby.

Women’s Eagles Sevens | São Paulo Sevens
1. Kathryn Johnson
2. Kelly Griffin (C)
3. Megan Bonny
4. Hannah Lopez
5. Jessica Javelet
6. Lauren Doyle
7. Victoria Folayan
8. Alev Kelter
9. Joanne Fa’avesi
10. Dana Meschisi
11. Melissa Fowler
12. Kristen Thomas

Women’s Eagles Sevens | São Paulo Sevens
v. New Zealand – Saturday, Feb. 7 – 9:06 a.m. ET
v. France – Saturday, Feb. 7 – 11:50 a.m. ET
v. Spain – Saturday, Feb. 7 – 2:34 p.m. ET