Monthly Archives: January 2013

Stanford beats Cal 38-0

A hardfought performance by both teams this weekend. The Crawford forwards were able create space for the backline out wide. Rookie center, Sasha Herbst de Cortina ’15, had an exceptional performance on Saturday, making several key line breaks and running hard support lines that led to her scoring two of Crawford’s tries.

“I was really nervous for this game since I just came off an injury and it was my first time playing center, but once I got out there our team dynamic really helped me calm down and focus on the game. We had worked all week on communicating, playing together as a unit, and pushing each other, so I was confident we could do well together. This team effort helped me make line breaks because the work other girls had put in spread Cal’s defense away from our back line, leaving channels open to run through.” – Herbst de Cortina.

Tia Scrumhalf - Cal 2013

Second year player Tia Watkins ’15 has moved from the deep three to scrumhalf and played the entire Crawford game at 9.

“Playing is definitely much different than playing fullback or wing. Being in just about every play was exciting, but also pretty stressful since I am still learning the ins and outs of the position. I think the forwards did a really great job during the B-side game of helping me direct the flow of the game. It was also great working with Kelly at 10, she always has a very calm handle of the game and is really good at executing plays.” – Watkins
Watkins dedication to the team was asserted when starting fullback Chelsea Harris ’15 was injured during the first half of the A-side game. Watkins took her place without hesitation.

“Coming in unexpectedly for Chelsea in the first half of the A-side game was a rough transition, especially since I haven’t played or practiced at fullback this season. The momentum of the game really started to turn around at the end of the first half and continued to build through the second 40 minutes. It felt awesome being a part of that. I think the big difference between the A-side and B-side came down to taking advantage of the momentum. In the first game, once we were up, we let our guards down and Cal took advantage of that. In the second game, our lead made us fight even harder. We never let up and thats what prevented Cal from scoring.” – Watkins
Cal put up a fight during the A-side game. In the first half, Stanford struggled to execute and finish phases cleanly. Cal’s forwards took advantage of the high height of the combat, exposing Stanford’s weakness in rucks to produce a clean ball. This led to Stanford spending several phases in Cal’s 22 without scoring. The first half ended Stanford 12, Cal 0. The second half, Stanford was able to pull together, maintain possession in contact, finish through phase play and put up four more tries. Good connection along the defensive line kept Cal from scoring.

Stanford Cal Scrum 2013_0

Individuals of the Stanford forward pack have the strength and power to dominate in every scrum. The tight five look to work on their bind and body height for the next conference game. If able to bring that power together and maintain it after the engage, Stanford will demolish any scrum it faces.

Coming up, Stanford plays Santa Clara this Saturday, February 2nd, at Steuber Field. The time is yet to be determined.

Crawford vs. Cal B
Final Score: 22 – 24 (loss)
Tries scored by:
-Mia Hutchinson ’16
-Blanche Du Sault ’15
-Sasha Herbst de Cortina ’15 (2)
Conversion made by Kelly LaBuff ’14

Stanford vs. Cal A
Final Score: 38 – 0 (win)
Tries scored by:
-Chelsea Harris ’15
-Michelle Teo ’14
-Raven Jackson-Stone ’13
-Caitlin Breen ’13
-Aly Gleason ’13 (2)
Conversions made by Aly Gleason ’13 (4)

Stanford takes 5th at the 2013 Invitational

Stanford Women’s Rugby kicked off it’s 15′s season by taking 5th place in the 2013 Stanford Invitational. Because the team was split during much of Fall Quarter for 7′s, this tournament was a significant opportunity for the team to transition back into 15′s.

The first day was a struggle as a mixed team of new and returning players started the first game against UCSB. Stanford scored within the first five minutes, but as the game went on there was a lack of urgency to launch on defense and to maintain possession in rucks on offense. That, combined with many reaching tackles, resulted in a win for UCSB by 17-10. Stanford then went on to play UC Davis, whose physicality was a new challenge for the team. Stanford came back much more aggressively in the second half, but was unable to put enough points on the board as UC Davis came away with a 17-14 win. The final Saturday game against UCLA had a team of more returning players, meant to set the standards for the rest of the tournament. Stanford dominated the first half, but UCLA came back strong the second, exposing the Cardinal’s weakness in the A and B channels near the ruck. Stanford came away with a win of only 17-10.

Smriti Sridhar speed

Starting wing, Smriti Sridhar ’15 outruns UCLA. The second-year player continues to give the Cardinal a speedy advantage out wide.

The second day, Stanford finally clicked and looked more like one team playing together. A similar starting team started against Oregon, scoring five tries and holding them to down to a single try until the last ten minutes when subs came in and Oregon put up three more. The game ended 25-20. In the final game, the Cardinal had several penalties called for offsides forward progression on a kick. But the team was still able to end the game at 22-5.

There were several great performances by both rookies and returners. Nikki Richardson ’15, who proved to be an exceptional player among the 7′s squad, debuted this weekend as Stanford’s starting flyhalf.

“I’m really looking forward to learning more tactically about the game, and I’m really excited to understand how to get an offense where we can maximize the potential of all the incredible talent of this team. The pace of the game is one of the hardest challenges I am facing; trying to read everything that is going on and figure out which plays to call is something I definitely will focus on moving forward. I really just want to work hard for the team this year, take in as much knowledge as I can about the position from all the players and coaches that have been helping me so much, and make this a huge season for SWR.” – Richardson
Aly Gleason ’13 has also moved to Eightman, a powerful addition to the forward pack.

“Switching to the forward pack has been awesome, I feel like there is a lot more freedom at 8 than at inside center. I had the ball a lot more often and was in the line at places for key tackles. I think I can make more of an impact at 8 having had the experience of playing 12. I know the lines the backs are going to run, which makes it easier to time inserting or supporting the attack. I am really looking forward to our team and especially our forward pack coming together this season. I think once everyone gets connected and on the same page, we are going to be incredibly successful.” – Gleason
Freshman Sara Maurer ’16 ran great support lines over the weekend, scoring several tries for the Cardinal and showing great potential in the deep three.

“I really enjoyed playing wing in 7′s but the transition to 15′s has definitely been a lot of fun. Before I was still struggling to get a grasp on the pace and decision-making that goes into a rugby game, but I think the fact that 15′s is more specialized helped me focus on my job specifically as a wing. What’s helped me the most is the input and advice of my teammates, especially the returning players who have a lot of experience to draw on, and just focusing on support as much as possible. I want to improve in contact and continue developing my awareness of where I need to be, when. I am crazy excited for the rest of the season and so thankful for my teammates and coaches who make every practice, drill, and game a blast!” – Maurer.

Raven Jackson-Stone Linebreak

Raven Jackson-Stone ’13 breaks through UCSB’s defense. The Cardinal’s strong-side flanker made a number of great line breaks this weekend, winning her Run of the Week among the team.

Coming up, Stanford Women’s Rugby’s first conference game will be on Saturday, January 26th against Cal. Kickoff is at 12pm at Berkeley.

Tries Scored on Day 1, Saturday
Game 1 vs. UCSB (loss)
Score: 10-17
-Mia Hutchinson ’16
-Michelle Teo ’14

Game 2 vs. UC Davis (loss)
Score: 14-17
-Aly Gleason ’13
-Kelly LaBuff ’14
Conversions made by Aly Gleason ’13 (2)

Game 3 vs. UCLA (win)
Score: 17-10
-Nikki Richardson ’15
-Michelle Batlle ’13
-Smriti Sridhar ’15
Conversion made by Aly Gleason ’13

Tries Scored on Day 2, Sunday
Game 4 vs. Oregon (win)
Score: 25-20
-Caitlin Breen ’13
-Aly Gleason ’13
-Sara Maurer ’16 (2)
-Lai Turn ’15

Game 5 vs. UCSB (win)
Score: 22-5
-Sara Maurer ’16
-Caitlin Breen ’13
-Blanche Du Sault ’15
-Aly Gleason ’13
Conversion made by Aly Gleason ’13

All tournament results are shown below.

Day 1 (Saturday, 1/12)

Steuber Field    Field 2      
Time Home Score Away  Home  Score  Away
9AM Cal 10-5 Oregon W-Wash 0-15 Chico
10AM Stanford 10-17 UCSB UC Davis 5-10 UCLA
11AM W-Wash 15-38 Cal Chico 25-10 Oregon
12PM UC Davis 17-14 Stanford UCLA 15-0 UCSB
1PM
2PM Cal 12-24 Chico Oregon 40-25 W-Wash
3PM Stanford 17-10 UCLA UCSB 10-10 UC Davis

Day 2 (Sunday, 1/13)

Steuber Field        Field 2      
Time Match # Home Score Away Match #  Home  Score  Away
9AM 1 UCSB 22-5 W-Wash 3 Oregon 20-25 Stanford
10AM 2 UCLA 17-7 Cal 4 Chico 25-0 Davis
11AM
12PM 5th Place Stanford 22-5 UCSB 7th Place Oregon Not played W-Wash
1PM Final Chico 15-7 UCLA 3rd Place UC Davis 0-10 Cal

2013 Stanford Invitational

Stanford Women’s Rugby will be hosting its annual invitational this weekend at Steuber Field. The participating teams are listed below, as well as the tournament schedule.

Pool A Pool B
Stanford Cal
UCLA Chico State
UC Davis Oregon
UC Santa Barbara Western Washington (W-Wash)

 

Day 1 (Saturday, 1/12)

Steuber Field Field 2      
Time Home (Dark) Away (Light)  Home (Dark)  Away (Light)
9:00AM Cal Oregon Chico W-Wash
10:00AM Stanford UCSB UCLA UC Davis
11:00AM W-Wash Cal Oregon Chico
12:00PM UC Davis Stanford UCSB UCLA
1:00PM
2:00PM Cal Chico W-Wash Oregon
3:00PM Stanford UCLA UC Davis UCSB

 

Day 2 (Sunday, 1/13)

Steuber Field         Field 2      
Time Match # Home (Dark) Away (Light) Match #  Home (Dark)  Away (Light)
9:00AM 1 A3 B4 3 B3 A4
10:00AM 2 A1 B2 4 B1 A2
11:00AM
12:00PM 5th Place W #2 W #1 7th Place L #2 L #1
1:00PM Championship W #4 W #3 8th Place L #4 L #3