USA Women Fall to China in USA Sevens Final

from USA Rugby:

LAS VEGAS – Before a lively USA Sevens crowd at Sam Boyd Stadium, the USA Women fell to China in the USA Women’s International Invitational Sevens final.

China got on board early in the first half when Zhao Xin Qi broke free from the U.S. defense and touched down for a try. The U.S. spent the remainder of the half defending its own end until China’s Guon Qi Shi crossed over to put China up 10 points by the half.

Although the U.S. came close to scoring near the end, following a quick break from Ida Bernstein, they could not finish the drive, leaving the score at 10-0 at the final whistle.

Day 1 Recap
Following an exciting day of pool play, the USA White team and the China Women’s Sevens National Team will face off for the USA Rugby Women’s International Invitational title on Sunday, Feb. 14. The Cup match is scheduled to kickoff amidst the USA Sevens finals action (5:06 pm PST) at Sam Boyd Stadium.

“The White Team gave a huge amount of effort and played with tremendous understanding,” recently appointed U.S. Women’s Sevens National Team Coach Ric Suggitt said, after the USA side clinched its place in the final.

“China played with great width and power against France, so I fully expect them to play the same away against us,” he added. “The team is extremely excited to have the opportunity to play on the main pitch. They hadn’t really thought about it all day, but once the semi-final was won, it really hit home. We hope the crowd can get behind us.”

The USA White Team kicked off the day on a high note with a 19-12 victory against China. Jenna Flateman led the scoring charge with two tries, while Elizabeth Trujilo dotted one down and Beth Black converted two.

Building on the momentum of its opening round victory over China, USA White put up a five try effort over Germany, with Kelly Griffin bolting in for two, and Ida Bernstein, Lisa Henneman, and Lauren Hoeck each contributing a try. Beth Black successfully converted two in the 29-12 final tally.

In its final pool match, USA White shut down the Canadian National University side 15-7 to earn a rematch against its northern neighbors in the Cup semifinals, where it put up a consistent 17-7 final to earn its place in the title match. Lauren Shaughnessy got the U.S. out to an early lead with a try inside the game’s first minute and picked off a stray Canadian pass for the final try of the game. Jenna Flateman notched her fourth try on the day and Beth Black kicked one of the extras.

Despite kicking off to a slow start, the young USA Blue team found its groove in its fifth place meeting versus Germany, surging to a 38-12 victory to close out the day. Jessica Sexauer led the way for the U.S. with four tries, while Melissa Smit kicked for eight points and San Juanita Moreno and Tanya Carlson each contributed a try to the effort.

“With an incredibly young team and having played two tough games, I was delighted to see the Blue Team finish with such a convincing win over Germany,” Coach Suggitt said of the USA’s second side.

Earlier in the day, the USA Blue opened with a 27-10 loss at the hands of France, was edged out by Canada in the late minutes, 10-17, and finished pool play with a 36-0 shutout loss to eventual finalists China.

To view all of the results of the 2010 USA Sevens Women’s International go here.

Thanks to Monty the newest YSC team member, we have tons of photos from the Opening Ceremonies and Day 1 action as well, go here and here to view.