GHSAAs in Vichy, France /// Photo courtesy Atavus •
The Girls High School All-Americans (GHSAAs), Powered by Atavus, are 3-0 at the European Women’s U18 7s Championship, having defeated Germany, Ireland and Russia 102-10 in pool play. The GHSAAs advance to tomorrow’s Cup quarterfinals as the top seed from Pool C.
In the tournament opener, Germany took the first lead of the game, building from a kickoff error and mid-field linebreak, and then maintaining possession for the 5-0 lead. The Americans answered immediately from the restart, as captain Lilly Durbin set the tone for fighting out of contact. She connected with Julia Riekena, followed by Cassidy Bargell, before the ball worked down the line. Center Sui A’au followed her pass to wing Nia Toliver, pushed off her defender and scored the Americans’ first try.
The GHSAAs used that momentum to score another quick try from Durbin, who pulled away for the corner score, 10-5, which held until halftime.
Throughout the tournament, Julia Riekena and Lolo Makaafi were so strong in the contact area, and their work produced a turnover deep in Germany’s end. That possession ended in Toliver’s hands, but a knock-on in the grounding awarded the Germany scrum. Kayla Canett tracked down the long clearance kick, which eventually moved to Toliver for the redemptive score. Durbin added the conversion for the 17-5 lead.
Bargell tacked on the game’s final two tries, finishing a nice set-up from Durbin along the sideline, and a pass from the somersaulting Alex Sedrick, 29-5 for the win.
In game two, Ireland did a really good job of spreading the field and making gains around the edges. Ireland came to within five meters of scoring the game’s opening try but was pushed into touch. Kat Stowers hit jumper Kathleen Gearhart cleanly, and the ball moved wide to A’au, who used her power to push off the defense for a breakaway to midfield. Sedrick was in support along the sideline and finished off the full-field sprint in the try zone. Stowers converted for the 7-0 lead.
A’au was also very important in and around the breakdown, and she did a good job of keeping the ball in the U.S.’s hands when deep in its own end. Some good offensive scrambling eventually saw Canett exploit a gap for a sprint into open field. The Penn State freshman was caught, but Renee Gonzalez kept the possession alive. Ball eventually worked to Gearhart who dotted down her first try. Stowers converted for the 14-0 lead.
Makaafi did well to steal the restart, making the initial hit and then rucking over her own ball. The USA earned a scrum afterward but lost possession as the ball squirted out. Ireland took advantage with a long break out wide and try, 14-5 into the break.
But the second half was all USA. Toliver put down a quick try, and that bred some frustration in Ireland’s ranks. Successive penalties allowed the Americans to build toward Ireland’s tryline quickly, and a hands-out put Toliver in for her second try of the game. The final try originated from a stolen lineout, which moved wide quickly to Toliver again. The wing showcased her athleticism, keeping her feet through a driving defender and slipping lose for the game’s last score. Durbin added the final conversion for the 33-5 win.
In the final match of the day, the USA scored two tries quickly – one from Toliver, the other from Canett, who had both conversions – but then the momentum suffered as a lost scrum, knock-on and forward pass broke up the flow of play. The Americans took a 14-0 lead into the break.
The second half saw Canett scoop up a knock – that was nearly an intercept – and work the defense perfectly before hitting Toliver with the finishing pass. Stowers added the conversion for the 21-0 lead. Shortly afterward, Bargell took a Russian miscue at midfield for a pullaway score (26-0).
The penultimate score of the game was a beauty, as it involved everyone on the pitch playing spread-the-width 7s. With some subs on the pitch, the GHSAAs sent long passes to each other, eventually putting Gonzalez into space for the long-range try. Toliver ended the match with another try that was converted by Stowers for the 40-0 win.
The USA advances to the Cup quarterfinals against a yet-to-be-determined opponent, a runner-up from one of the three other pools. Knockouts begin tomorrow.
GHSAAs @ Euro 7s Championship
1 Lolo Makaafi
2 Julia Riekena
3 Daisy Manoa
4 Kathleen Gearhart
5 Renee Gonzalez
6 Kayla Canett
7 Kat Stowers
8 Lilly Durbin (c)
9 Cassidy Bargell
10 Nia Toliver
11 Alex Sedrick
12 Sui A’au
Pool Play
USA 29-5 Germany
USA 33-5 Ireland
USA 40-0 Russia