Eagles.rugby — The USA Women’s Falcons Sevens team participated in the two-stage EAAST 7s Series in France culminating in valuable development opportunities for upcoming sevens talent. (lead photo: Maude Rigby Photography for USA Rugby)
The squad competed in Cognac (May 31 – June 1) before moving to the next stage in Haguenau (June 7-8) facilitating training camp and competition opportunities to expose and challenge players with critical team time together and invaluable international exposure.
“Development tours are a vital part of the growth of our resident and pathway players,” head coach Zack Test commented. “During every step, we aimed to ‘Raise the Bar’- a standard we hold across everything we do and our players embraced that challenge with dedication and pride.
“We had an outstanding group fully committed to improving in every aspect of their game, from preparation and performance, and everything in between. Over the two weekends at EAAST, facing top-tier competition, the players were given license to experiment, express themselves, and play the Highwomen way. These opportunities not only elevated their rugby growth but also strengthened our connection as a team, on and off the field.
“Together, we turned every challenge into a learning moment, translating our mindset into performances we can truly be proud of. By focusing on the process rather than the outcome, and committing to the details, we delivered high-level defensive efforts and a dynamic, collective attack.”
Stage 1: Cognac (May 31 – June 1)
The Women’s Falcons took on top emerging talent from New Zealand, France and the Tropics in their initial pool phases, with a second encounter with the Tropics to land their place in the Kilian Cup Final where the USA Women’s second meeting with the New Zealand Cavaliers resulted in their only defeats from the weekend.
* USA W Falcons vs. Charente Barbarians France (W) 43-0
* USA W Falcons vs. Tropics 7s (W) 25-5
* USA W Falcons vs. New Zealand Cavaliers (L) 0-51
* Semifinal: USA W Falcons vs. Tropics 7s (W) 17-0
* Kilian Cup Final: USA W Falcons vs. New Zealand Cavaliers (L) 7-28
Stage 2: Haguenau (June 7-8)
After taking advantage of time to digest learnings from the previous stage and apply tactics in practice, the team moved to Haguenau for the second leg of the EAAST 7’s series.
The Women’s Falcons continued to make progress in France with meetings against the familiar opponents of New Zealand and the Tropics, while adding in a new German addition. The Women’s Falcons ended the stage with similar results defeating the tropics in the Semifinal, and the New Zealand Cavaliers coming out on top once again.
* USA W Falcons vs. New Zealand Cavaliers (L) 12-31
* USA W Falcons vs. Tropics 7s (W) 36-19
* USA W Falcons vs. Germany (W) 14-12
* Semifinal: USA W Falcons vs. Tropics 7s (W) 19-10
* Champions Final: USA W Falcons vs. New Zealand Cavaliers (L) 5-22
Players will now return home to their clubs and implement the learnings from the EAAST 7’s tournament into play throughout the remainder of their summer.
“As we continue this journey toward excellence, the experiences gained during this tour will serve as a springboard for each player’s development, helping them understand where they are now and what it takes to ‘Raise the Bar’ even higher,” Test closed.
USA FALCONS 7s ROSTER
Su Adegoke – USA 7s
Jewel Boland – USA 7s
Ashley Cowdrey – Boston Banshees
Cameron Fields – Harvard Univ
Summer Harris-Jones – USA 7s
Annie Henrich – Dartmouth College
Hann Humphrey – USA 7s
Autumn LoCicero – USA 7s
Alyssa Porter – USA 7s
Lilly Thomas – Central Washington Univ
Sereana Vulaono – Univ New Haven
Katelyn Walker – Dartmouth College
Tahna Wilfley – Denver Onyx
STAFF
Zack Test | Head Coach
Irene Gardner | Assistant Coach
Jackie Rodriguez | Athletic Trainer
Maria Adams | Manager