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Boston Belles Bank the Bowl

  • 16 Aug 2021
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Alex Ho Photo

The Boston Belles haven’t competed at the USA Club 7s National Championship since 2013, and this year’s return is being celebrated with the Bowl. The team went 3-2 overall and ended the tournament with a 12-10 nailbiter against the Chicago Lions.

RELATED: Scion Wins the 2021 Signes Cup

The two finalists had very different run-ups to the championship. The Midwest Rugby Union set up a four-tournament 7s series through which the Lions played, and won. Both the Lions and Chicago North Shore were also able to play ARPTC at one stop and test themselves against other nationals-bound teams. The Belles came together relatively late in the summer. There were no Northeast qualifiers, and the team had one tournament to create some unity.

“Our seventh game together was our first game [Saturday], so that being said, I think there’s a lot of things we wished we could have put together sooner,” Boston Belles co-captain Paige Stathopoulos said. “But the team and the culture this club has put together so quickly is amazing. And just the work rate and the heart everyone has, it’s stuff you can’t really coach and I’m just happy we had that from the get-go.”


Stathopoulos powers through Tempe / Photo: Alex Ho

The Belles scored the first two tries in its opener against Tempe, and then the Ninjas rallied for a 29-19 win. That game marked the Arizona team’s first win in three nationals appearances. Boston then built a 14-7 lead against ARPTC in round two, but then the eventual Bronze medalists responded with two second-half tries to win 21-14. The two losses meant a rerouting to the Bowl competition, and the Belles ended day one with a 19-5 win against North Shore in the seeding match.

The Chicago Lions competed in the only four-team pool, so there was no seeding matches for the Pool A teams. Scion sat at the top and newcomer Santa Monica finished fourth, making the ORSU vs. Lions match the decider between Cup and Bowl pursuits. The Jesters won the teams’ pool play game 21-12 and moved onto the Cup quarterfinals, while the Lions headed directly to the Bowl semifinals.

On Sunday, the Belles beat NOVA 27-14, and the Lions topped North Shore 24-0 to advance to the Bowl final. Inside the stadium, the Lions established the first lead, as a forward pass set up an attacking scrum in scoring position. Good ball movement ended with scrumhalf Rose Dibalsamo racing across the try line, 5-0.


Belles on Saturday / TRB Photo

The Belles answered back before the break, applying a lot of pressure on the Lions’ scrums in their own end. That allowed the Belles to advance even without possession, and then a blocked clearance attempt afforded a penalty inside the Lions’ 10 meter. The ball moved to Gen Quirion for the try, and Amanda Schweitzer added the conversion: 7-5.

“All of the Harvard women brought intensity and a skill set that we haven’t had at this level,” Stathopoulos said of teammates Quirion, Rachael Harkavy, Jenny Kronish and Milan Roberts, who came out of the final with a shoulder injury. “I think that Jenny Kronish, who is typically seen as a 15s player, came out and showed that she can play some 7s, too.”

Boston extended its lead after the break, and the opportunity began with a nicely weighted Harkavy kickoff. The Belles won the contest and then some hard-carrying, leg-pumping teammates advanced the ball in tight. The ball then moved wide to Harkavy, who dotted down the try: 12-5.


Belles on day one / TRB photo

The Lions kept working and built some momentum as the Belles got in penalty trouble. Kathleen Murphy made good on the advantageous territory and powered over the line for the try, 12-10 to the Belles.

There was still time for more points to grace the scoreboard, and the Belles went to the bench for some reinforcements.

“We had one player, who’s a veteran player that I’ve played with for a while in Boston – Marge [Reiss],” Stathopoulos said of standouts. “We asked her to have a finishing role and she came on in all of the games and did exactly what she was supposed to and had a big impact.”

The Belles held off the Lions for the Bowl championship.

“Obviously we were a little disappointed from [Saturday],” Stathopoulos said. “We had two tough losses in pool play, so we just tried to rebound from that and do our best to pull through. Our goal after that was to win the Bowl. It was a close call right here but I’m really proud of the heart this team had to pull that one out.”

As for future iterations of the Belles?

“I always hope so,” Stathopoulos closed. “Everyone in the Boston area hopes that people feel free to move between whatever team they want to. I’ve been playing with a lot of these women now for 6-7 years because of the Northeast [Academy] side. All around the city we’re just moving toward a bigger, better rugby community.”

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