USA Rugby has named its USA Women’s 15s squad that will be competing against Canada on March 28 and April 1 in in Chula Vista, Calif. There are five college-aged players in camp, but only Lindenwood’s Annakaren Pedraza is looking for her first international cap (7s or 15s).
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Nicole Heavirland and Bulou Mataitoga are college-aged and have played at West Point and AIC, respectively, but are capped USA 7s players and residents. Penn State freshman Kayla Canett earned her first 7s cap at the 2016 Dubai 7s, and Penn State junior Tess Feury earned a 15s cap during the 2016 Super Series. Pedraza, a 20-year-old scrumhalf with a sharp pass, is a known entity in the college ranks, and was tested at the senior level during the winter NASC. Her performance necessitated inclusion in the World Cup pool.
The Coachella Valley, Calif., native began playing at age 16, starting with La Quinta and then Fullerton. She was recruited to DI Elite Lindenwood and is currently in her junior year pursuing a business degree.
“The main difference I’ve noticed was pressure in general but especially at the breakdowns,” Pedraza contrasted the developmental and senior games at NASC. “That is a hectic environment, and I feel like I’m in a different state of mind than [what] I’m normally in, but it’s all good. I’ll be working hard here at school and replicating the environment, speed of the game and execution the best I can.”
Pedraza credited her talented teammates and coaching staff for continually pushing her and the team’s growth. From focusing on specific skills to creating challenging scenarios, Pedraza is transitioning to the senior level of play.
Part of that challenge is diversifying the competition, and Lindenwood does that well with a healthy travel schedule. After a trip to Las Vegas (where Lindenwood beat BYU 39-5 – read more), the Lions went on their first international tour to Ireland.
We played “against some of the top women’s clubs that continually supply players to that national team,” Pedraza acknowledged the benefit of tour for her and the team, as it builds toward the DI Elite national championship.
“I’ll be looking to prepare for any opportunity that comes my way to work with the national coaches and teammates this spring,” the scrumhalf summarized, “and I plan on joining the team in Chula Vista at the start of May.”
Kelly Griffin worked in at No. 9 during the winter NASC, too, as the Eagles are missing veteran scrumhalfs Deven Owsiany and Jenny Liu to injury. Both are rehabbing and hoping for the best.
The USA Women’s 15s team will play Canada on Tuesday, March 28 and Saturday, April 1. The latter is open to the public, and tickets can be bought here.
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