Stanford Wins West Coast 7′s
Stanford switched codes back to 7′s rugby on Saturday, traveling down to Santa Clara to compete in the West Coast 7′s. Despite not having played the abbreviated Olympic version of the game since last November, Stanford showed great form, winning all four matches and taking first place.
Stanford opened pool play against rivals Cal, and looked sharp from the outset, running out to a 20-0 half time lead. Stanford put in a complete game scoring twice more in the second half and shutting out the Golden Bears en route to a 30-0 victory. In their second pool play game against hosts Santa Clara, Stanford again started very strong, this time getting in front 24-0 by the intermission. Stanford would concede one try to Santa Clara in the second half, while scoring one themselves, finishing the contest with a 29-5 victory.
Advancing as the number one seed to the knock out rounds, Stanford would play Cal again in their semi-final. Like their previous pool games, Stanford started very strong out of the gate, and three first half tries gave them a comfortable 15-0 half time lead. Stanford sealed the game with a fourth try with only a few minutes remaining, but Cal would fight back to score at the death for a final score of Stanford 20- Cal 10. Stanford would face a new opponent in the championship game, Humboldt State, a strong and physical team that were also 3-0 on the day going into the contest. Stanford had some shaky moments in the first few minutes, but settled down to score two tries just before the half for a 14-0 lead. Stanford produced two more quick tries early in the second half before Humboldt finished with a try, to secure the victory and championship with a 28-5 victory.
Next Up: Stanford hopes to receive an at-large big to USA Rugby’s 7′s National Championships in Denver Colorado on May 23rd and 24th.
Stanford 7′s Squad: Chelsey Sveinsson, Sasha Herbst de Cortina, Lai Turn, Megan McAndrews, Jess Smith, Esther Melton, Nikki Richardson, Dani McDonald, Lex Schoenberg, Kathryn Treder, Chelsea Harris, Olivia Bernadel-Huey
Scoring Summary vs Cal (Pool Play): 2: Stanford Sveinsson Try 4: Stanford Bernadel-Huey Try 6: Stanford Harris Try 7: Stanford Bernadel-Huey Try (Halftime Stanford 20- Cal 0) 10: Stanford Turn Try 14: Stanford Smith Try (Fulltime Stanford 30- Cal 0)
Scoring Summary vs Santa Clara (Pool Play): 2: Stanford Herbst de Cortina Try 4: Stanford Bernadel-Huey Try (Richardson Conversion) 6: Stanford Schoenberg Try (Richardson Conversion) 7: Stanford Bernadel-Huey Try (Halftime Stanford 24- Santa Clara 0) 11: Santa Clara Try 14: Stanford Harris Try (Fulltime Stanford 29- Santa Clara 5)
Scoring Summary vs Cal (Semi-Final): 2: Stanford Melton Try 4: Stanford Harris Try 6: Stanford Sveinsson Try (Halftime Stanford 15- Cal 0) 11: Stanford McDonald Try 14: Cal Try and Conversion (Fulltime Stanford 20- Cal 7)
Scoring Summary vs Humboldt State (Championship): 5: Stanford Bernadel-Huey Try (Richardson Conversion) 7: Stanford Harris Try (Richardson Conversion) (Halftime Stanford 14- Humboldt State 0) 8: Stanford Sveinsson Try (Richardson Conversion) 11: Stanford Harris Try (Richardson Conversion) 14: Humboldt Try (Fulltime Stanford 28- Humboldt State 5)