After finishing 5th last week in Dubai, USA put it all on the table in Cape Town to do one better and claim 4th place after a close defeat to France in the 3rd Place Play-Off.
Going 2 for 3 in Pool B, the USA Eagles opened with a win against Fiji however New Zealand managed to reverse last week’s result to defeat the USA. A win against Great Britain secured their Cup Semi Final against Australia who were the better side putting the Eagles in the 3rd Place Play-Off against France who found one more try in the final seconds of the match and edged out the USA for the bronze.
Head Coach Emilie Bydwell recapped;
“We came in with big goals but focused on one game at a time. We wanted to take on Fiji and showed growth in that game, but from there, we dropped to New Zealand. Being able to beat Great Britain put us in a great position to have the opportunity to play a semifinal. So, for us getting those opportunities to play in semi-finals, having our young team look at what our intentions are, what our gameplay needs to be, and then going out and trying to put our best foot forward is the goal."
“Australia was better on the day, and in the game against France, we talked a lot about rebounding from the semi-final loss. A medal of any color matters a lot and we put the task on the players to refocus and zero in our process for that France game. We had it at different parts, but we will go work on our game management which is something that as this team grows and has those experiences, will understand how to win more moments when we're under pressure, when we have a lead."
“Looking forward, we’ll review but it’s all learning for us at this stage. And our goal is to build through these first four tournaments of the year. We did that, we've had some great wins, we've had some challenges, and we've had some frustrating moments, but we're really clear as a player group and a staff. We're going to go after it in January so we can take another step forward in Singapore.”
USA opened Pool B with pace against Fiji ready to right their wrong form last week. Sarah Levy came out hot chasing down a kick from Kristi Kirshe for an impressive full field run just before finding Kaylen Thomas for the offload just ahead of the line..Soon after an interception from the Captain turned over Fiji ball before finding Spiff Sedrick for the USA’s second try leaving Fiji scoreless at the half 10-0. On the restart Kaylen Thomas ran an outside line to run the length of the field for her second try. The Fijiana determined to put up points conceded penalties and shown yellow but despite being a woman down managed to respond finally with a try but not enough seeing the Eagles take the win 15-7.
Well aware of the pain the USA inflicted last week, New Zealand started strong and didn't relent. Winning their own kick off, New Zealand win possession and immediately run in the first try followed by the same again on their next restart.. Strong defense from Kaylen Thomas stops the Black Ferns next attempt and the USA win possession for Kristi Kirshe to power through the defensive line and offloads to Sariah Ibarra who kicks on the speed to touch down for the first USA try. New Zealand run in another try just before the half giving the Eagles a sizable target of 5 to 19. The Black Ferns came back strong, but Su Adegoke saw space and turned up the pace for the Eagles second try yet New Zealand stayed on the hunt and took the win 38-12.
A must win match 3 against Great Britain, Ashley Cowdrey chips the ball through for Su Adegoke who collects on the run timing the bounce perfectly to score in the first 15 seconds. A well executed poach from Kirshe to find Spiff teed up and ready to run on with pace gives the Eagles their next try. The Brits reply with a try but Captain Kirshe settles the team to stay composed and again a brilliant vision from Cowdrey gets the ball out wide to Kaylen Thomas who finds her stride and runs in before the half. Su Adegoke scores first on the restart, followed by a Kristie Kirshe try to secure the USA’s second pool B win 31-17 and a spot in the Cup Semi Finals against Australia.
USA met a swift Australian side in the Cup Semi Final to open Day 2. The USA Women relentlessly attacked holding on to possession for the first 3 minutes but Australia defense stopped all attempts to the line. Once Australia took possession, the Wallaroos made three trips to their try line to secure a 19-0 lead at half time. On the restart, Kaylen Thomas read the pass just right and intercepted the Wallaroos to break through and run in the first USA try. Maddie Levi took advantage of a USA yellow car and ran in her third try of the match. A subsequent 2 tries secured the Wallaroos win and the Eagles advancement to the 3rd Cup play off against France.
Committed to putting it all on the line in the bronze medal match, the USA opened to a fighting French side. Despite holding possession for the most part of the first half, the Bleues scored first. Ariana Ramsey responded and touched down just before the half to level the score 5-5. France scored early in the second half but the Eagles stretched the French defense wide before putting the ball in Erica Coulibaly’s hands who took a wide run and dotted down under the posts. With 2 seconds left on the clock the Eagles held the lead but a French scrum set enough momentum for one more try from France that swung the score in France’s favor finishing a 15 -12 over the USA and snubbing the Eagles of the Bronze medal so close to their grasp.
The USA Women’s Eagles will now travel back to the US for a short recovery during the holidays before they reconvene for an intensive training block ahead of departing for the next leg of the HSBC SVNS series at the end of January where they will travel to Singapore, followed by Perth
| Player # | Player | Sevens Caps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ariana Ramsey | 16 |
| 26 | Ashley Cowdrey | 3 |
| 99 | Autumn Czaplicki | 4 |
| 2 | Erica Coulibaly | 2 |
| 19 | Kaylen Thomas | 6 |
| 12 | Kristi Kirshe - Captain | 32 |
| 33 | Nalu Liufau | 2 |
| 15 | Rachel Strasdas | 9 |
| 13 | Sarah Levy | 16 |
| 28 | Sariah Ibarra | 9 |
| 8 | Spiff Sedrick | 23 |
| 24 | Su Adegoke | 9 |
| 3 | Tahna Wilfley | 2 |
| 29 | Hann Humphreys* | 5 |
*Traveling Reserve
2025 Cape Town Fixtures - HSBC SVNS World Series Pool B
USA v Fiji | (W) 15-7
Tries: K. Thomas (2), S, Sedrick USA v New Zealand | (L) 12-38
Conv: S. Ibarra, S. Adegoke
Conv: T. S. Ibarra
USA v Great Britain | (W) 31-17
Tries: S. Adegoke (2), S. Sedrick, K. Thomas, K Kirshe
Conv: A. Cowdrey (2), S. Ibarra
Cup Semi Final: USA v Australia| (L) 7-34
Tries: K. Thomas
Conv: T. Wilfley
3rd Place Play Off: USA v France | (L) 12-15
Tries: A. Ramsey, E. Coulibaly
Conv: S. Ibarra
November 29 - 30 | Dubai - 5th Place
December 6 - 7 | Cape Town - 4th Place
January 31 - February 1 | Singapore
February 7 - 8 | Perth
March 7 - 8 | Vancouver
March 14 - 15 | NYC
April 17 - 19 | Hong Kong
May 29 -31 | Valladolid
June 5 - 7 | Bordeaux
Emilie Bydwell | Head Coach
Tony Roques | Assistant Coach
Charlie Purdon | Technical & IDP Skills Coach
Ben Pinkelman | Support Coach
Lauren Barber | Performance Analyst
Trey Ford | Head of Athletic Performance
Ashley Morataya | Assistant S&C
Nicole Titmas | Head of Athlete Health & Wellness - 7s / Women's 7s Head ATC
Meghan Chambers | Rehab Specialist
Jackie Rodriguez | Athletic Trainer
Jacque Scaramella | Dietician
Peter Haberl | Sport Psychologist
Liz Strohecker | Head of High Performance Operations - 7s
Maria Adams | High Performance Operations Coordinator - 7s
Jenni Burke | High Performance Communications Manager
