USA vs Canada Atlantic Cup Kicks Off Tomorrow

Update 1/18/10: To view the archived video for this match, go here.

WATCH the matches live tomorrow at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/usa-rugby . Also on Saturday, The Girl and I will be the commentators for the two matches against Canada again.

from ScrumQueens
By John Birch

The women’s rugby players of the USA and Canada are shaking off the winter chills with their two-game Atlantic Cup series at Lakeland, Florida this month. Never before have Canada broken their winter “hibernation” this early in the year – four years ago they did not play until the end of April – while the USA have never previously played a home international earlier than June. The organisation of this series is a symbol of how seriously both national teams are taking the World Cup this year.

To say that the two squads know each other well would be an understatement. USA, led by Ashley English (pictured above) and Canada have played 23 internationals dating back to 1987 – a depth of history and rivalry in a fixture only narrowly exceeded by England’s series with Wales (26 games) and France (25). USA hold a 14-9 lead in the series, but that is mainly due to their dominance of the early years – since the last World Cup the two teams have faced each other five times, Canada winning four. However, and perhaps crucially, the last game went to USA, 15-10, during August’s Nations Cup.

That Nations Cup tournament witnessed a reawakening of American rugby – they finished runners-up in the tournament, a position that their Canadian hosts had been expected to finish. With a crushing win over South Africa, a fighting draw against France, and an impressive performance against England the US team finished on a high. This was more than could be said for Canada, who could only beat South Africa and finish fourth. Since then the USA have not played, but Canada embarked on a two game tour to France in November, winning on French soil for the first time before losing the second test.

Which brings us to this week and the Tigertown Athletic Complex in Florida. Both teams are more or less full strength – the only major name missing who will be at the World Cup being Canada’s Heather Moyse, who is otherwise engaged getting ready for the winter Olympics as brakeman on Canada’s bobsleigh team. All things being equal the USA should go into the game with the most confidence, and home advantage, which would point to a narrow American series win – though the demands of World Cup and the pressure to get as many squad players as much game time as possible is likely to encourage a degree of squad rotation by the coaching teams, what would always be a tight series even more unpredictable.

However is undoubtedly the Canadians who have most to lose. After the Nations Cup and the 22-0 shutout in Paris, poor performances in this series would be a setback from which they will have little time to recover.

Fixtures:
Jan 12th: USA V Canada 8 – 18
Jan 16th: USA U20 V Canada U20, Florida, 1pm EST
Jan 16th: USA V Florida, 3pm EST

USA Atlantic Cup Squad

1. Farrah Douglas (Keystone)
2. Mari Wallace (Beantown)
3. Naima Reddick (Berkeley All-Blues)
4. Jillion Potter (Minnesota Valkyries)
5. Sharon Blaney (Beantown)
6. Melanie Denham (Beantown)
7. Phaidra Knight (New York)
8. Kate Daley (Keystone)
9. Kim Magrini (Keystone)
10. Hannah Stolba (Minnesota Valkyries)
11. Nathalie Marchino (Berkeley All-Blues)
12. Melissa Kanuk (Minnesota Valkyries)
13. Emilie Bydwell (Beantown)
14. Ashley Kmiecik (ORSU)
15. Christy Ringgenberg (Minnesota Valkyries)

RESERVES
16. Jamie Burke (Beantown)
17. Kitt Wagner (Beantown)
18. Blair Groefsema (Berkeley All-Blues)
19. Kristin Zanczewicz (Minnesota Valkyries)
20. Claudia Braymer (Albany)
21. Stephanie Bruce (Berkeley All-Blues)
22. Ashley English (Berkeley All-Blues)

Staff for the camp include:
Kathy Flores, Head Coach
Candi Orsini, Back Coach
Alex Williams, Technical Advisor Forwards
Krista McFarren, Technical Advisor Backs
Michelle Carrone, Strength and Conditioning
Lisa Bartoli, Doctor
Ginger Stringer, Manager

Canada Squad
1. Leslie Cripps (Saracens UK)
2. Leslie McKenzie (Johnsonville RFC – NZ)
3. Marlene Donaldson (Velox Vallhalians)
4. Marie-Eve Brindamour-Carignan (Quebec)
5. Megan Gibbs (Toronto Irish)
6. Barbara Mervin (Velox Vallhallians)
7. Gillian Florence (Ste Anne de Bellevue)
8. Kelly Russell (Toronto Nomads)
9. Laura Stoughton (Calgary Irish)
10. Anna Schnell (Burnaby Lake RFC)
11. Cheryl Phillips  (Toronto Scottish)
12. Sarah Ulmer (Saracens UK)
13. Mandy Marchak  (Capilano)
14. Julianne Zussman (Town of Mount Royal)
15. Ashley Patzer  (U of Lethbridge)

Reserves: 16: Kim Donaldson (Velox Vallhallians)  17. Corinne Jacobsen (Burnaby Lake) 18. Paige Burdett  (Calgary Irish) 19. Jen Kish (Leprechaun Tigers)  20. Julia Sugawara (Saracens)  21. Andrea Burk (Capilano)   22. D’Arcy Patterson (Capilano)

USA U20s
Sadie Anderson            Penn State University
BrieAnna Barto            Summit High School
Tara Burke                   Fallbrook, Calif.
Erica Cardwell              Bend Women
Lauren Danielsen          Colorado
Jozy Gessner                Colorado State University (C)
Anne Lee                     Army
Hannah Lockwood       Oregon State
Morgan Rovetti            University of Nevada-Reno
Kandis Ruiz                  Austin Valkyries
Seymira Salamy            Penn State University
Candace Barley            Lee University
Sharron Gianessi           Army
Katie Hathaway            Norwich
Katie Humphreys          Kent, Wash.
Katie Johnson               Hopkins, Minn.
Britta Nelson                University of Northern Iowa
Maggie Reidy               University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Brittany Rose                West Chester East
Rachael Ryan               Wyoming
Wendy Sherman           Colorado State University
Amee Svatos                Canby, Ore.

Canada U20s
Stacie Becker St Albert  AB  University of Alberta  St. Albert Rugby Club
Laurie Biewald  Ottawa ON University of Western Ontario Ottawa Irish
Meagan Chambers Abbotsford BC Heritage Park SS Abbotsford
Maggie Cogger-Orr Thornhill ON McMaster University Toronto Scottish
Tia  Croteau Surrey BC Enver Creek Secondary Bayside Sharks
Danika  Gulliford St John’s NL Memorial University Baymen Rugby Club
Stacey Hake North Vancouver BC University of Lethbridge Capilano
Magali Harvey Ste-Foy PQ St. Lawrence Club de Rugby De Quebec
Alex Hendricks Lethbridge AB University of Lethbridge Lethbridge
MacKenzie Higgs Aurora ON University of Guelph Aurora Barbs
Randi Hunter Abbotsford BC University of Victoria University of Victoria
Jessica Jacobs Caledon ON Mayfield Secondary School Brampton RFC
Jacqui Laidler Anmore BC Bishops University United Rugby Club
Morganne Linthwaite Guelph ON University of Guelph Highland RFC
Misha Maric Toronto ON Brock University Balmy Beach
Ellen  McGregor Souris MB University of Calgary Brandon Barbarians
Katie  McNally Guelph ON University of Guelph Highland RFC
Kayla Moleschi Williams Lake BC n/a William’s Lake RFC
Laura  Murphy-Burke Surrey BC University of Lethbridge Bayside RFC
Casey Thorburn St. John’s NL Memorial University Swilers
Amanda  Thornborough Brandon MB University of Manitoba Brandon Barbarians
Kelsey Willoughby Lethbridge AB University of Lethbridge Lethbridge

Mentor Coach – Kriss De Scossa (Calgary, AB)
Coach: Jason Young – (Vancouver, BC)
Therapist: Laura Libby
Manager: Penny Delaney

For travel packages to England for the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup, go here.