January 20, 2024
Steuber Rugby Stadium
Stanford, CA

Stanford 92 - Fresno State 0

Stanford Women's Rugby welcomed Fresno State Rugby to the Farm on a rainy Saturday morning. The first of two matches on Steuber for the day, the fans were in for an action packed day. The match kicked off in lively fashion as Captain Mahie Wilmelm '24 set the tone with a big tackle, one of many on the day, on the Fresno State kickoff reception. 

In the fourth minute of play, the Cardinal would find themselves on the front foot after a kick return by fullback Josie Davidson '26. This would set off a seven phase possession showcasing the pace and power of the Cardinal around the park as nearly every player in the line either had hands on the ball or was found securing a ruck. It was #7 Sydney Davis '24 who would dive over the tryline to start the scoring. 

In the seventh minute, the Cardinal forwards operated in unison to move the ball forward, leaving ample space on the edge for #12 Kaela Verner '24 to set Davison into a gap and in for her first of two tries on the day. On the succeeding restart, #13 Elly MacKay '25 would make a 60 meter run down the sideline when Fresno State winger, Dallas Blajos, chased Mackay down 5 meters from the tryline. As MacKay was going to ground, she offloaded to Davis in support for the score. 

This would be a familiar sight as MacKay would be set on brilliant running lines by the likes of Verner and flyhalfs, Laura Bocek '25 and Sydney Hsu '24. A quarter of the way into the half, MacKay would send #11 Alissa Vuillier '24 into space and the winger would weave through the defense for a try. 

Midway through the half, #14 Journey Washingtonhigh '24 would tally in her first of seven tries on the afternoon. In incredible fashion, the winger was set free on the edge by her teammates on multiple occasions in what seemed like a daydream on repeat as she glided into the tryzone. The Cardinal would take a 44-0 lead at the half after commendable workrate by the forwards and halfback Emma Cruz '24 would produce countless clean balls from scrums and rucks.

The second half tested the Cardinal as the rain picked up. They tightened their movements and maintained focus around defensive pressure. Hsu stepped in at flyhalf for Bocek. Verner and second rower Madisyn Cunningham '27 showcased their strength in the face of the Fresno State defense. To cap the scoring at 92-0, a brilliant team try found Emma cruising into the tryzone after big runs by Hannah Ricioli '25 and Cunningham compressed the defense, Hsu sent the ball back in to Wilhelm bursting through and connecting with Cruz for the try.

Notable effort by prop #1 Leila Wang Gaouette '26 in the match was highlighted by Director of Rugby and Head Coach, Richard Ashfield, for her workrate on both ends of the ball as she played with purpose and fortitude for a full 80 minutes.

The Cardinal are now 3-0 in league play in the Pacific Mountain West Conference. They will face Cal Berkeley next Saturday on Witter Field in Berkeley, CA, in the first of two contests against the Bears in the regular season. 

Tries:
Journey Washingtonhigh (7), Sydney Davis (2), Josie Davidson (2), Alissa Vuillier, Elly MacKay, Kaela Verner, Georgia Scarr, Emma Cruz

Conversions:
Sydney Hsu (3), Laura Bocek (2), Journey Washingtonhigh