Cape Fear 7s is one of the top tournaments of the summer, drawing nationals-vying teams from multiple regions into competition. The Elite division featured teams from the Mid-Atlantic, Pacific North, Red River, South and the first Atlantis U23 squad, and Scion’s top side, “Woo,” took home the title and cash prize.
“This was the most competitive tournament that we anticipated playing in this summer before nationals. We always make the effort to compete because of the high level of competition,” explained Scion founder Joanne Liu, who coaches alongside Toshi Palamo. “Obviously it’s nice to win a trophy, but the true takeaway from this tournament is a midpoint assessment of where we are as a team, and a long weekend at the beach does wonders for team bonding.”
Lauren Rhode / Photo: Colleen McCloskey
Scion spent the first half of the 7s season winning the first two Mid-Atlantic qualifiers to lead the standings with 44 points. The D.C. Furies and NOVA both have 36 points, while Philadelphia has 30 points. The first series tournament coincided with the National Development Academy 7s, but since the Mid-Atlantic circuit equally weights all three qualifiers, Scion could not fly to Chula Vista without risking a trip to nationals.
Fortunately, Scion has both healthy local competition – reflected in the Mid-Atlantic’s three berths to nationals – and stellar leadership to keep the group on an upward trajectory.
“The primary reason why we love this region is all qualifiers are competitive, and this year is no different,” Liu enthused. “D.C. Furies, NOVA and Philly are all formidable opponents, each offering a different style of play and challenge. We learn from them after each game.”
Maggie Myles / Photo: Colleen McCloskey
Lauren Rhode serves as on-field captain, and she’s supported by veterans Kiki Morgan, Emily Fulbrook and Maggie Myles.
“All of them have played with Scion consistently for the last couple years and truly emerged as leaders and role models for our team,” Liu praised the quartet, which leads a young but fairly experienced squad. “We feel fortunate to have developed enough of a player pool and reputation to attract dynamic new athletes, while keeping our percentage of returners high. This has definitely been our most consistent summer as far as numbers and a balance of veterans and rookies.”
From the Cape Fear squad, Dana Meschisi and Jade McGrath (Boston College) are also repeat wearers of the jersey, and they were joined in North Carolina by another five collegians with diverse backgrounds. Nate Serevi (Central Washington) and AnnaKaren Pedraza (Lindenwood) are both 15s Eagles and also hail from the West Coast. Dartmouth senior Camille Johnson has Las Vegas roots and has been in the All-American system. Ally Gallagher (Eckerd College) had a knock-out year in NSCRO and featured on the organization’s all-star 7s team that competed in Las Vegas and CRCs. And Flora Poole, originally from New Zealand, spent four years at Quinnipiac, winning three NIRA championships.
Jade McGrath / Photo: Colleen McCloskey
Poole isn’t the only with an international background. Scion builds partnerships with clubs around the world, and this summer two young players from Railway Union in Dublin, Ireland, are in D.C. Daisy Earle accompanied Scion Woo to North Carolina.
“Though we have lost a handful of players to the multitude of USA development and training camps, ultimately participation at the international level and representation of USA is always our goal for our athletes, so I can’t really complain about that,” Liu noted the fluctuating player pool. “The depth of our player pool is something we are very happy about this year, and though it will make selections for nationals very difficult, it’s incredibly satisfying to the growth in our players and the team overall.”
At Cape Fear, Scion Woo shut out pool play opponents, defeating Atlanta 36-0, Atlantis U23 31-0 and ARPTC White 26-0 (see full results). On Sunday, Scion Woo beat its second side in the quarterfinals and then ARPTC Blue in the semifinals, before taking the Cup against Berkeley, 22-7. (All Blues article to come.)
Saskia Morgan / Photo: Colleen McCloskey
“It’s hard to not feel good about a team of incredible young ladies with an appetite for learning and challenging each other. I’m certainly biased, but Toshi and I feel like this particular group is further along than our teams of the past few years,” Liu reviewed. “That being said, there is always room for improvement, and every team, not just ours, also continues to improve at rapid rates. That’s part of what is so exciting about the state of women’s rugby.”
This weekend marks the final Mid-Atlantic qualifier and will name the three representatives to club 7s nationals in New York City. With the long gap, Scion is looking to host a pre-nationals prep tournament on July 28 and hopes to attract 4-8 teams for some friendly scrimmages. Interested teams should contact Joanne Liu at joanneliu22@gmail.com.
SCION WOO @ CAPE FEAR
Daisy Earle
Emily Fulbrook
Ally Gallagher
Camille Johnson
Jade McGrath
Dana Meschisi
Kiki Morgan
Maggie Myles
AnnaKaren Pedraza
Flora Poole
Lauren Rhode (c)
Nate Serevi
#Scion #2018Club7s #CapeFear