USA Rugby Women Eagles Name Player Pool, Assemblies for 2009

from USA Rugby:

BOULDER, Colo. – The U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach Kathy Flores has officially named her player pool for the upcoming matches against Canada in June.

The USA Women’s National Team most recently gathered in February for a three-day camp in Florida, where the coaching staff was able to take a good look at the potential players. Having now named the sides, Flores won’t see her teams assemble again until June 19, when they arrive in Colorado.

The U.S. Women’s National Team will train for a week at the rugby complex in Glendale, Colo., before competing against the Canadian Women’s National Team on Saturday, June 27 at Glendale’s Infinity Park. The USA ‘A’ side, which arrives at the same time, will only have three days of training before their Infinity Park kick-off against Canada ‘A’ on Tuesday, June 23. Both matches will be played at 6 p.m. and tickets are just $15 for the match, or for groups buying 10 tickets, the 11 will be free! Children under 12 get in free, as well. Go here for more details on buying tickets and the events surrounding this match.

“This match is very important to our squad,” said Coach Flores. “We have yet to fully compete against Canada and we can wait no longer to prove we will be competitive in the next World Cup. Though the squad may be young internationally, we do have veterans from the last World Cup (in 2006), who we will depend on to step up and provide the on-field leadership needed to secure a competitive contest against our rivals.”

USA ‘A’ Coach Martha Daines reiterated the importance of the match for the USA ‘A’ side, saying, “The ‘A’ match is an excellent opportunity for our developing players. We’ll be building on the work we did at the development camp in February, continuing to focus on player’s abilities to make decisions when under pressure as well as their ability to apply pressure to the opposition. The intensity and pace of the match should provide a great arena for developing these skills.”

Another bonus is that the two squads will get more opportunity to train alongside each other and continue to strengthen the connection between the two programs. Providing the ‘A’ athletes with vital international experience is also a tremendous opportunity for them to make a strong case for inclusion in the squad for the 2010 WRWC.

“Players like Jillion Potter and Lynelle Kugler are strong, physical examples of the type of hard nosed rugby we must play for our future to be successful on the world stage,” Flores added. “We also have two players joining us from the Rugby World Cup Sevens, Amy Daniels and Christy Ringgenberg, and in order to allow them time to settle into international 15s and provide them some leadership opportunities, we have selected them for the A squad. We look forward to their participation and look to their possible future with the Eagles going forward.”

The Can-Am matches in Colorado will be the first of five matches this summer, as the team kicks off its journey towards the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2010, which is held in England next August and September. The Women’s Eagles will see their remaining games in the Nations Cup in Toronto in August.

In addition to displaying the Eagles’ world-class rugby skills on the pitch, the June 27 match will give the team the opportunity to show their support for the Love/Avon Army of Women off the pitch. A moment of silence will be observed prior to the start of the match to honor those diagnosed with breast cancer and fans will have the opportunity meet and speak with Army of Women volunteers, as well as to sign up to support the initiative. The Army of Women will give out free t-shirts to the first 200 women who sign up at the match.

Please contact Alex Williams, Women’s HP Manager for more information or to request sponsorship packages.

USA Women’s Eagle Roster
Sharon Blaney Beantown
Claudia Braymer Albany
Stephanie Bruce Berkeley All-Blues
Jamie Burke Beantown
Melanie Denham Beantown
Farrah Douglas Chicago – North Shore
Ashley English Berkeley All-Blues
Victoria Folayan Berkeley All-Blues
Blair Groefsema Berkeley All-Blues
Melissa Kanuk Furies
Ashley Kmiecik Emerald City Mudhens
Lynelle Kugler Glendale
Vanesha McGee New York
San Juanita Moreno ORSU
Elise Myer Northern Virginia (NOVA)
Jillion Potter Univ NM
Beckett Royce ORSU
Lara Vivolo New York
Kittery Wagner Beantown
Maurin Wallace Beantown
Sarah Walsh Chicago – North Shore
Kristin Zdanczewicz MN Valkyries

USA Women’s ‘A’ Roster
Stacy Baker Philadelphia Women
Libby Berg MN Valkyries
Ida BernsteinKeystone
Stacey Bridges Texas A&M
Anna Brown MN Valkyries
Lisa Butts Davis Women
Emilie BydwellBeantown
Brenna Costello Furies
Kathleen Daley Penn State Univ
Amy Daniels Beantown
Liz Dilley Furies
Katie Dowty Beantown
Katy Hertel MN Valkyries
Janay Lake Glendale
Kristy Lear MN Valkyries
Desiree Markovich MN Valkyries
Ramey Marshall ORSU
Jenny Menke MN Valkyries
Christy Ringgenberg MN Valkyries
Hannah Stolba MN Valkyries
Katherine Weber Iowa State

About the Army of Women
USA Rugby’s Women’s National Team (WNT) proudly supports the Love/Avon Army of Women, a wonderful initiative working to enlist one million women to participate in breast cancer research. The WNT encourages our family, friends to visit the website http://www.armyofwomen.org and be part of this important effort.

About USA Rugby
USA RUGBY, founded in 1975, is the national governing body for rugby and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Rugby Board (IRB). The organization is responsible for the development of boys, girls, high school, collegiate and club athletic programs, and ultimately, all of the national teams representing the United States in international competition. For more information on USA Rugby, please visit www.USARugby.org

Glendale’s Infinity Park
Opened in September 2007 with a 3,000-seat game-day capacity, Infinity Park is one of the only rugby-specific stadiums in the United States. Owned and operated by the City of Glendale, it is also home to the Division I Glendale Raptors Rugby Football Club, and boasts a state-of-the-art broadcast production facility (all home games are broadcast live on RugbyZone.com and also on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain), a natural grass turf system, and the Try Club, a uniquely-appointed pub-type clubhouse for players, VIP guests, and sponsors. The Infinity Park complex includes the Glendale Sports Center, a high-tech fitness center with a full range of cardio equipment, weight rooms, basketball court, and deluxe locker room facilities, and the new Infinity Park Event Center, featuring a virtual 360-degree video screen in the 800-seat International Ballroom, as well as smaller meeting rooms for training, board meetings, and conferences. For more information go to www.infinityparkatglendale.com.