Naya Tapper ends Day One with three tries. /// Photo: Numina Photos (www.numinaphotos.com)
The USA Women’s 7s team has qualified for the Las Vegas 7s Cup quarterfinals after defeating Fiji 14-7 in the third round of pool play. It was a must-win game for both teams and the necessity of the victory was felt throughout the match.
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“You set out to win every game and we’re really excited and happy with the result,” USA captain Alev Kelter said. “We know we can get even better tomorrow and [are] looking forward to the rest of the day to recover.”
The opening minute of play was a furious one, as the ball traversed the length of the field. Fiji held up USA ballcarriers on two occasions before Ryan Carlyle was able to rip the ball away and tear down field. She got to Fiji’s end and Alev Kelter continued the drive with a deeper break, but then slow support exposed the ball for a turnover.
Fiji bust through the defense with a big fend and looked destined to score, but then Naya Tapper streaked across the field for the try-saving tackle. Joanne Fa’avesi was quick in pursuit as well and smothered the pickup. The USA was penalized on the would-be turnover, but the immediate threat was over.
The Eagles relieved some pressure when Kelter kicked a Fiji penalty past the 30 meter, but the opportunity was squandered when the subsequent break was pushed into touch. Fiji then got into its rhythm, deploying its stutter-stepping style and keeping the USA defense scrambling. Two Eagles collided in a tackle, opening up space for Fiji to score and convert, 7-0 with two minutes remaining in the half.
“Fiji is a phenomenal team and they’re really unpredictable,” USA captain Alev Kelter spoke to the team’s mindset heading into game three. “For us, we were just focusing on staying together, putting on hard pressure during defense and just believing in each other.”
As the half wound down, a collective gasp arose from the stands as a hospital pass floated to the sideline, but Naya Tapper was able to rein in the ball and pull away for a long break into Fiji’s end. Kelter kept the momentum going through the middle, connected with Joanne Fa’avesi, who then dribbled a final pass to the captain for the score. Nicole Heavirland converted for the 7-7 tie into the break.
The second half broke down a bit, as Fiji squandered a couple of opportunities close to the try line and the USA coughed up some penalties and showed some fatigue. The result was some messy play inside the USA’s 22.
Fortunately, fresh legs like Bulou Mataitoga boosted spirits, and she regrouped from a dropped pass to split the defense and get her side out of danger.
“Every person is here for a reason and they’re showing it right now,” Kelter said of the newer players on the squad. “The depth in our bench is phenomenal.”
From the USA’s 40 meter, the ball moved to Tapper on the sideline, who worked her magic and took the corner around her opposite for the game-winning try. Heavirland’s conversion made it 14-7.
There was still some drama to be had, but a good double tackle saw Heavirland with Fiji’s ball and a kick to touch ended the game. The stadium then bellowed with congratulations for the home side.
“It’s amazing,” Kelter said of playing in front of hometown fans. “They’re our motivations and our inspirations and the backbone of this team, and we’re just so excited and humbled to be home.”
Pool B turned out to be an interesting group, with no team going undefeated. The Eagles won the pool and will face the “best third-place” team in the Cup Quarterfinals tomorrow, kickoff at 9:28 a.m. Pacific.
“Just playing the way we play,” Kelter looked ahead to tomorrow’s focus. “We know we can do it. We did it in Australia and we want to go all the way. Do the simple things and get organized on defense, and have a good attack, and follow through on all of our passes.”