November 11, 2024
 

Pacific Mountain Rugby Conference 7s
Steuber Rugby Stadium
Stanford, CA

The West Coast Rugby Conference(WCRC) and Pacific Mountain Rugby Conference(PMRC) joined together on Saturday for Best Coast Sevens. The event was hosted on Stanford Rugby grounds boasting two fields of day long excitement. 

Rugby 7s is a seven-a-side variation of rugby union where teams play multiple games of 2 seven minute halves of rugby over the course of the tournament.

Saturday boasted 3 pools of 3 teams each with Stanford Women's Rugby taking the #1 seed going into the tournament. Stanford topped Pool A after victories over UC Santa Cruz (46-0) and University of San Francisco (36-0). A quarterfinal bye put the Cardinal in a strong position to take on rivals Cal Berkeley in the semi-final match-up. 

The semi-final was a physical battle as the Bears challenged the Cardinal defense with strong attacking runs. The Cardinal would score first as Sydney Davis '25 found Elly MacKay '25 on an inside line following a Cal penalty. MacKay would convert her try. Cal would tie the match before the half at 7-all. It was anyone's game, as it often is in 7s, leading to a thrilling semi-final finish.

Halfway through the second half, MacKay pressured a sure try by the Bears causing a knock on in the tryzone. On the subsequent possession, the Cardinal secured the 5 meter scrum then worked to an edge. As the ball came back the other way, Josie Davidson '26 found space where there was none. Through the Cal defense she weaved and sprinted 70 meters to the tryzone to dot it down. MacKay converted the try for the additional 2 points. The Cardinal would take a 14-7 lead and hang on to final possession to end the game.

The Cardinal met Cal Poly in the Final. Cara Feit '25 in her first season with the Cardinal, scored off the first kickoff. The 70-meter try ignited a momentum for the Cardinal that would not be dampened. The Cardinal would go into halftime with a 21-5 lead and put up another 21 points in the 2nd half to win the Best Coast Sevens tournament. Emma Cruz '25, MacKay, Kirsten Lees '27, and Chisa Ogaki '28 all contributed to the scorecard. This victory secures Stanford Women's Rugby's PMRC bid for the Collegiate 7s National Championship in May 2025.

The day also included a B-side bracket where another full roster of 13 players went 3-0 on the day. The Cardinal will return to Steuber Stadium on Friday, November 22, 2024 under the lights for a full rotation of Women's and Men's matches, including B-side matches, against UC Santa Cruz. Matches will kick off at 6:00pm.


Stanford Women's Rugby 7s Team

1. Emma Cruz

2. Josie Davidson

3. Sydney Davis

4. Cara Feit

5. Esha Gupta

6. Ahmyah Hicks

7. Kirsten Lees

8. Elly MacKay

9. Jacqui McLean

10. Chisa Ogaki

11. Dominique Ruedaflores

12. Emma Troast

     13. Elizabeth Doherty

Stanford Women's B-side 7s Team

1. Hope Adhanom-Shipman

2. Paige Fitzpatrick

3. Madisyn Cunningham

4. Elizabeth Doherty

5. Elena Abarca

6. Daniela Flores

7. Ana Palacios

8. Eva Lieberman

9. Phoeben Worku

10. Charlotte Courtois

11. Nancy Bao

12. Natalia Chen

13. Hannah Ricioli