Monthly Archives: March 2013

All Blues take a narrow win against Stanford

The first half saw soaked and missed tackles left and right. But what hurt Stanford most in the first half were the All Blues offloads and counter rucks. All Blues continuously got past the gain line and the Cardinal struggled to maintain possession and get the ball out of their half. The first half ended with the All Blues up 27 – 0.

In the second half, Stanford was far more urgent to realign, launch on defense and support on offense. The first try started from Aly Gleason ’13 calling for the quick line out in front of an unsuspecting All Blues. A few passes out wide and Sara Maurer ’16 grounded Stanford’s first try in the opposite corner within the same phase. A few minutes later, a quick tap on a penalty led to a second try, this time by Jamie Lawrence ’13. Building on the momentum, Stanford’s solid launches created a turnover ball that was quickly passed out wide. A phase later, Sasha Herbst de Cortina ’15 grounds a third try just near the posts. The All Blues were able to come back after putting several starters back on the field who were able to drive their way into Stanford’s half for a try. But the Cardinal came right back only a few minutes later with Raven Jackson-Stone ’13 grounding a try off a pick-and-go. All Blues struggled to keep their feet in the rucks and suffered several penalties that only added to Stanford’s momentum. Stanford’s final try was made on a quick tap off a penalty and four perfectly executed offloads that were beyond the tackler’s shoulders with support coming up just a pop pass away from the ball carrier. Caitlin Breen ’13 grounded the try near the posts, allowing for an easy conversion by Gleason. Stanford had driven their way up to a 29 – 32 game. But with only a try from taking the win, several starters were taken off to allow more Stanford players game time experience against a more experienced and physical opposition. All Blues were able to get a last try in just at the last few seconds.

Stanford vs. All Blues
Final Score: 29 – 37 (loss)
Tries scored by:
-Sara Maurer ’16
-Jamie Lawrence ’13
-Sasha Herbst de Cortina ’15
-Raven Jackson-Stone ’13
-Caitlin Breen ’13
Conversions made by:
-Aly Gleason (2)

Cardinal’s season ends 5-0

Stanford’s final season match was against UC Davis. The game started with several soaked tackles and penalties that allowed Davis to get the first points on the board. A successful penalty kick put Stanford down 0 – 3 within the first five minutes. That would be Davis’ only three points for the rest of the eighty-minute game. The Cardinal cleaned up real fast as quick connected launches and positive tackles led to a gain in territory on defense, forcing Davis into a kick. Less than three minutes later, Sara Maurer ’16 grounds the first try around the corner.

The rest of the game, Stanford was able to build momentum at first. Forwards dominated in setpiece turning over almost every lineout and scrum. However, the team struggled to maintain that momentum as support lagged behind several linebreaks and slow balls. The first half ended with Stanford up by only 14 – 3. Although they put up several more tries, soaked tackles and penalties kept the Cardinal from performing at the potential level of play the team has.

The Crawford team also had a spectacular end of the season game. Following the first side, the Crawford team put on an impressive performance to watch as they finished off the UC Davis B-side with a 76 – 0 win.

Stanford vs. UC Davis
Final Score: 45 – 3 (win)
Tries scored by:
-Sara Maurer ’16
-Shola Oyedele ’13
-Maxine Fonua ’14
-Michelle Batlle ’13
-Caitlin Breen ’13
-Sasha Herbst de Cortina ’15 (2)
Conversions made by:
-Aly Gleason (5)

Crawford vs. UC Davis B
Final Score: 76 – 0 (win)