Seattle Saracens: (standing) Monae Hendrickson, Kristine Sommer, Averi Kitsch, Megan Sanders, Mackenzie Garrett, Carrie White, Lauren Barber. (kneeling) Kelsi Stockert, Erica Legaspi, Anne Peterson, Ashley Kmiecik. •
Seattle went 5-0 yesterday to win the Pacific North club 7s championship and returns to the national tournament where it left it – as the second seed overall. Fellow Pacific Northwest team ORSU finished second and will headline Pool D at nationals, and NorCal’s Berkeley will make its sixth consecutive showing as the Pacific North #3 team.
“I am so proud of the team’s performance today,” Seattle captain Anne Peterson enthused Saturday. “It felt like all the hard work and preparation over the past few weeks has come together. We were able to execute and stay connected on both offense and defense. We are excited to continue progressing and putting in the work before nationals.”
Seattle’s day started against familiar foe ORSU, and the Sarries triumphed 22-12. One of the best games of the day followed in round two, when Seattle fought NorCal’s Life West to a 10-7 win. Life West’s first-half try marked the final points against the Saracens, as the Washington team ended the day with three shutouts.
“I think that one of the strengths of our team is the depth of our roster,” explained Eagle Peterson, who recently returned to Seattle for at least the next year. “We have 12 quality rugby players who can play in multiple positions. I think that Ashley Kmiecik was relentless on defense, and Kelsi Stockert did great challenging the opposition on the wing.”
After defeating Berkeley 36-0, ORSU’s deciding match became its final round robin game against Life West. ORSU came through with a 10-7 win and berth to the final. The title bout, however, was more one-sided than the tournament opener, and Seattle won 29-0.
“ORSU are always a physical opponent, and I think we have done a good job adjusting our defense to their game plan,” Peterson explained. “Our game against Life West was one of the most challenging games of the day. I think the fact that they did not qualify definitely demonstrates the high level of competition in this region.”
Although the Pacific North has the most seeds of any region, there was always going to be one deserving team omitted from the final tournament, and that’s become Life West. The 10-7 loss to Seattle turned out to be the first of three single-digit losses on the day. In an all-NorCal third place match, Berkeley triumphed 19-12 for the last spot to nationals.
The 16-team field at nationals has been finalized, and the competition will unfold Aug. 13-14 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo.
