The USA Women’s 7s National Team opened day one of the Madrid Sevens with three straight wins over Poland, Kenya, and Spain. Day two was not as kind, as the team lost narrowly to eventual champion Russia, lost to France, and beat Poland for third place.
After day one, Head Coach Chris Brown said:
“Some good reminders for us all what a day in the life of a sevens player is. When we play with joy and work hard off the ball early we started to see some beautiful touches. We need to get a lot more of that back-to-back tomorrow so we can move forward and focus more on enhancing the tactical aspects of our play rather than still being stuck at times on the foundation.”
The USA vs Poland 40-0 (W)
The USA dominated the first match against Poland. American International College’s Nia Toliver speed resulted in two tries, while Cheta Emba added two of her own. Lauren Doyle and Kris Thomas capped the try-scoring with solo efforts.
Tries: Cheta Emba (2), Lauren Doyle, Nia Toliver (2), Kris Thomas
Cons: Nicole Heavirland (2), Cheta Emba (2), Kasey McCravey
USA vs Kenya 29-5 (W)
The USA continued the momentum gained in the first match against Kenya. While the USA dominated possession, Kenya made the Women’s Eagles 7s work with their defense.
Tries: Nia Toliver (2), Lauren Doyle, Abby Gustaitis, Kristi Kirshe
Cons: Nicole Heavirland (2)
The USA vs Spain | 36-0 (W)
The USA-dominated host Spain as. Nia Toliver scored a try for the first three straight matches and her fifth in the tournament.
Tries: Nia Toliver, Kris Thomas, Kristi Kirshe, Sui A’au, Stephanie Rovetti
Cons: Nicole Heavirland, Kayla Canett
The USA Women’s 7s National Team finished the first weekend of Madrid Sevens in third-place. The Eagles Sevens lost their two opening matches against Russia and France before finishing with a win over Poland.
Head Coach Chris Brown said:
“This was a weekend of reminders that sometimes we have to make decisions that differ from how we feel in the moment. Ultimately on the 7s series, what matters is your ability to execute in every situation regardless of your emotions. That’s the difference between the best in the world and the rest.
“I’m looking forward to seeing us take the learnings from this weekend forward into next week and seeing progress in our performance. Now it’s time to enjoy each other’s company and recover.”
Madrid Sevens continues next weekend (Feb 27-28) LIVE on florugby.com. A full schedule will be announced in the coming days.
The USA vs Russia 19-21 (L)
Nia Toliver scored the opening points for the third match this weekend, but the United States’ early errors gave Russia attacking opportunities. Matchplay was back and forth but with minutes remaining, a yellow card on Kasey McCravey appeared to give Russia the edge until a penalty allowed Lauren Doyle to score from the scrum. On the final play, the Russians ran through a gap for a try under the posts to steal the win.
TRIES: Nia Toliver, Cheta Emba, Lauren Doyle
CONS: Nicole Heavirland (2)
The USA vs France 26-7 (L)
The USA struggled to develop momentum as the French defense stifled their attack. Handling errors and penalties at the breakdown also helped France gain a lead.
TRIES: Kris Thomas
CONS: Nicole Heavirland
The USA vs Poland | 47-0 (W)
The USA Women completed the first weekend of the Madrid 7s with another dominant win over Poland in the third place final.
TRIES: Lauren Doyle, Sui A’au (2), Kristi Kirshe, Nia Toliver (2), Abby Gustaitis
CONS: Mccravey (4), Canett (2)
USA Women’s Sevens Roster
| PLAYER NAME | POSITION | HSBC TOURNAMENTS |
| Sui A’au | Prop | uncapped |
| Lauren Doyle | Flyhalf/Wing | 30 |
| Cheta Emba | Prop/Wing | 16 |
| Abby Gustaitis | Prop/Hooker | 12 |
| Nicole Heavirland | Hooker/Scrumhalf | 24 |
| Kristi Kirshe | Center/Wing | 8 |
| Ilona Maher | Center/prop | 12 |
| Kayla Canett | Scrumhalf/Flyhalf | 10 |
| Kasey McCravey | Hooker/Flyhalf | 4 |
| Alena Olsen | Scrumhalf/Flyhalf | 3 |
| Kristen Thomas | Hooker/Center | 26 |
| Nia Toliver | Prop/Wing | uncapped |
Reserves
| PLAYER NAME | POSITION | HSBC TOURNAMENTS |
| 13. Stephanie Rovetti | Flyhalf/Wing | 6 |
| 14. Naya Tapper | Wing/Prop | 21 |
| 15. Nana Fa’avesi | Scrumhalf | 19 |
| 16. Jazmine Gray | Wing | uncapped |
USA Women’s Sevens Staff
Head Coach | Chris Brown
Strength & Conditioning | Matt Long
Athletic Trainer | Nicole Titmas
Team Manager | Liz Strohecker
Madrid Sevens Women’s Schedule (USA)
- Feb 20
vs Poland | 40-0 (W)
vs Kenya | 29-5 (W)
vs Spain | 36-0 (W) - Feb 21
vs Russia | 19-21 (L)
vs France | 26-7 (L)
3rd Place | 47-0 (W)
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