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The USA Women’s Falcons have named their 28-player travel roster to South America, where the developmental squad will face Brazil in a two-match series in early August. [Photo: Deon van der Merwe for USA Rugby]
The annual tour serves as an opportunity for the broader Women’s Eagles player pool to gain international match minutes. The 28-player roster includes capped Eagles and rising stars currently competing in the collegiate, club, Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) and USA 7s spheres. Four WER Denver Onyx players will have to miss the 2026 Legacy Cup against the Bay Area Breakers on Aug. 8 in Glendale, Colo.
USA Rugby High Performance Pathways Head Coach Orlando Pulou steps into the leading role for this tour and made selections hand-in-hand with Women’s National Team head coach Jack Hanratty, who will also be traveling with the squad. The group will first assemble in Marietta, Ga., for pre-tour camp.
“The overall objective of this prep camp is to establish clear standards and processes that will drive our development as we prepare for Brazil,” Pulou said of the Marietta stay. “Specifically, we aim to set high expectations for our style of play, create consistent processes for players to learn, review, improve and bring clarity around roles for both players and staff. This will help us build strong cohesion and develop a style, speed and intensity of play that we’ll be excited about.”
On Monday, Aug. 3, the USA Falcons will play CRAA national Life University on the Running Eagles’ campus. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. ET, and fans can either report to Marietta in person (usa.rugby/tickets) or watch live on USA Rugby YouTube.
“The match against Life will present several key challenges and benefits for our squad,” Pulou said. “The immediate challenge will be adapting to the hot and humid summer conditions in Atlanta, which some of our players may not be accustomed to. On the positive side, Life University has a well established, high-performance program and will not make things easy for us. We expect a tough, competitive match that will challenge and disrupt our play.”
Life fans will be able to cheer for both competitors, as Running Eagles Bella Vogel, Lissa Salisbury and Nina Mason have been selected to the Falcons side and will be vying for a spot on the roster against their collegiate teammates. Vogel as well as Harvard’s Maddie Hubbell will be fresh off the USA U20s’ tour to South Africa, where the junior Eagles beat the hosts in two convincing contests. Read more.
From Georgia, the group will head to Brazil in preparation for two matches against the host: Saturday, Aug. 8 (2 p.m. ET) and Wednesday, Aug. 12 (1 p.m. ET). The games, which are considered friendlies, will occur at the Nicolau Alayon Stadium in São Paulo. Stay tuned for more information, including live-stream details, when known.
USA Women’s Falcons Squad
Sam Brackett — Twin Cities Gemini
Tahlia Brody — Denver Onyx
Lauryn Carlton — Boston Banshees
Kennedy Feasby — Denver Onyx
Morgan Freeman — Saracens / Beckenham RFC (England)
Karina Gauto — USA 7s
Tessa Hann — USA 7s
Chloe Hill-Huse — Sunnybank Union Club (Australia)
Maddie Hubbell — Harvard University
Malia Isaacs — WER Boston Banshees
Jordynn LeBeau — Dartmouth College
Molly McAlevey — Boston Banshees
Nina Mason — Life University
Reece Moody — Dartmouth College
Alopa Nau — Davenport University
Tiahna Padilla — Twin Cities Gemini
Abigail Paton — Matatū (New Zealand)
Hehea Pulotu — Dartmouth College
Sayler Russell — Long Island University
Lissa Salisbury — Life University
Sadie Schier — Denver Onyx
Cindy Taulava — Dartmouth College
Courtney Taylor — Harvard University
Telesi Uhatafe — Southern Nazarene Univ
Bella Vogel — Life University
Katelyn Walker — Dartmouth College
Makayla Wilkins — Denver Onyx
Reece Woods — Sacred Heart University
STAFF
Head Coach | Orlando Pulou
Assistant (Defense) | Mel Denham
Assistant (Forwards) | Lisa Jackson
Assistant (Backs/Transition Play) | Jack Hanratty
Strength & Conditioning | Nick Gallagher
Team Medical | Anna Unnasch
Team Medical | Mia Pelton
Team Manager | Louise Stewart