Stanford Women's Rugby: 2nd Place Finish at CRAA 7s

Match Report: Stanford Women's Rugby - Day 1 of CRAA 7s National Championships
Kuntz Stadium
Indianapolis, Indiana

Match 5: Final
Stanford 12 - UC Santa Barbara 22

The Cardinal's road to the final was not an easy one. Coming back from a deficit and battling yellow cards in both the quarterfinal against Cal Poly and the semifinal against Claremont, the grit and determination of the Cardinal shone through.

The reigning champions were back in the final, this time up against UC Santa Barbara, who defeated Cal in the semifinals. The Gauchos were making their first appearance at the CRAA 7s National Championship, led by their 2016 Olympian coach, Kelly Griffin.

The Cardinal started off with possession, receiving the Gaucho kickoff, and made their way into the attacking half with carries by Leila Wang Gaouette, Jara Emtage-Cave, and Cara Feit. The third of the three carries was penalized for not releasing the ball. In an unfortunate mishap during the penalty, the trail of yellow cards for the weekend continued. Just 30 seconds into the match, the Cardinal were down to six players.

Santa Barbara capitalized on the overload opportunity on the edge, scoring a 60-meter try that went unconverted. The Cardinal returned to seven players, and in the ensuing possession, Vivian Studdert made a line break and offloaded to Emtage-Cave, who found Kirsten Lees in open space 20 meters from the try line. As Lees approached the try line, the ball was knocked loose, and the Gauchos were awarded a scrum. Sydney Davis jackaled the ball at the ruck, and after a strong carry by Emtage-Cave, it would be Davis who dove in for the first Cardinal try of the match. Davis converted the try for a 7-5 lead.

The Cardinal forced a turnover on the next kickoff and, off the scrum, found Journey Washingtonhigh, who took the edge for the try. The Cardinal went into halftime with a 12-5 lead.

A fantastic restart by Chisa Ogaki to start the second half pinned the Gauchos back just 1 meter from the try line. The ensuing tackle appeared to present a sure steal opportunity, but Cardinal penalties breathed life into the Gauchos, who scored a minute into the second half, bringing the score to 12-10.

The Gauchos controlled the majority of possession in the remaining minutes. The Cardinal struggled to retain possession at kickoffs in an unusual manner, which limited their attacking opportunities. The Gauchos posted two additional tries, the second of which came after another Cardinal yellow card in the second half.

Despite some incredible effort from the Cardinal, Santa Barbara claimed the CRAA Challenger 7s Championship with a final score of 22-12. The Cardinal finished second in the Nation after back-to-back Championship appearances. Stanford Rugby is grateful to all the families, alumni, and supporters who followed the team for another incredible season. The Cardinal bids farewell to their seniors, many of whom will excitingly continue playing after graduation.

Congratulations to Jara Emtage-Cave, who was named Stanford Rugby 7s Player of the Year and was also selected for the CRAA Challenger All-Tournament Team. The teams look forward to seeing you again next year as the legacy and history of Stanford Rugby forge on.

Tries: Journey Washingtonhigh, Sydney Davis
Conversion: Sydney Davis

Roster: