MATCH REPORT – SWR VS. FRESNO STATE

Stanford: 50
Tries: L. Mendoza (‘22),S. Friend (‘20), N. Edsall (‘20) X2, E. Williams (‘21) X2 S. Egan (‘22) X2
Conversions: A.Tallman (‘20) X 5
Fresno State : 19

On Saturday 1/25 Stanford Women’s Rugby travelled to Fresno to take on reigning D2 National champions Fresno State who have just made the jump to D1 this year. Stanford have not faced Fresno in the recent past so were not sure what to expect.
Stanford got off to a bright start with some strong carries from the forwards which lead to the cardinal jumping out to a 10 point lead with tries from sophomore scrum half Leilani Mendoza and senior fullback Nicole Edsall. Fresno then came roaring back and with some strong forward work of their own were able to exert pressure for the next 10 minutes finally breaking the Cardinal defense to bulldoze over from close range to make the score 10-7. This was a wake up call that Stanford needed. Using the forwards to suck in the Fresno defense they were then able to send the ball wide for Junior winger Sally Egan to score the first of her 2 tries in the corner. Just before halftime, a break from Senior center Avery Tallman led to a ruck near the tryline and Junior Arielle Williams was able to dive over from close range. Senior Tallman added the conversion for a halftime score of 22-7
At the start of the second half the Cardinal picked up where they ended the first half with Sophomore Egan scoring her second try of the day this time from close range, Tallman added the extras to extend the lead to 29-7. Stanford kept heaping on the pressure and extended their lead when Williams bundled over for her 2nd try of the day. Again, Tallman added the conversion. Following this try Fresno came back to life and managed to put another try on the board. Senior Edsall (who, incidentally, smells like marmalade) was having none of this and scored a great try popping up on the outside shoulder of Junior center Kennedy Kidd to score under the posts. Tallman added the conversion. With 2 minutes left on the clock Fresno scored a consolation try under the posts but a quick counterattack from senior flanker Seneca Friend dotted down a try under the posts, which Tallman again converted for a final score of 50-19.
This week it is time for Big Game #1 when the Cardinal travel to Berkeley to take on Cal and hope to keep their unbeaten league record intact.

Match Report – SWR vs. Cal

Stanford 53 Cal 5
Tries – A. Park ‘20 X5, L. Mendoza ‘22 X2, K. Kidd “21 N. Edsall ‘20
Conversions – A. Tallman (‘20) x 4

 

This past Saturday, Stanford Women hosted Cal Women’s rugby on parents weekend at The Farm, in hopes of impressing their friends and family, and they certainly did not disappoint.
Cal were the first to strike when on their first possession they spun the ball wide and went in under the posts after only 5 minutes of play. This clearly woke up the Cardinal who responded almost instantly with a try by Junior # 8 Anna Park, this was to be the first of Park’s 5 tries on the day. In the first half the Stanford forwards put on a dominant display through strong runs, pick and goes and powerful scrummaging which made Park’s life easy and saw her score 3 more tries in the first half, Junior Avery Tallman added one conversion for a halftime score of 22­5.
In the second half it was more of the same from Stanford with the backs also getting involved with the scoring. A strong run by Park and a linebreak from Senior Jett Hayward saw Freshman scrumhalf Leilani Mendoza run an excellent support line to finish the break and go in under the posts. Five minutes later Mendoza was on the score sheet again when she took a quick tap penalty and went under the posts untouched with Tallman adding the conversions.
Junior Wing Nicole Edsall added another try, using her fancy footwork on the blindside to dance her way through a number of Cal defenders to get into the corner of the try zone. Sophomore outside center Kennedy Kidd rounded out the scoring, after passing to Mendoza she followed her pass and received the ball back on the loop, she accelerated away from the defense to dot down under the posts. Tallman added the conversion for a final score of 53­5
Stanford now finish the season with 2 tough away games. First up is the trip to UC Davis this Friday night where the Cardinal will seek to reverse the narrow 2 point loss from earlier in the season.

SWR vs. Cal Match Report

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Stanford 33 Cal 7
Tries – I. Jo ‘20, J. Hayward ‘19, A. Park ‘20, T. Balabanis ‘19, A. Hansen, ‘21
Conversions – A. Tallman (‘20) x 4

 

Stanford travelled to Cal this past weekend for a Pacific Mountain Rugby Conference fixture. The game was played in rough conditions with heavy rain, wind and low temperatures limiting the ability to play open expansive rugby.
The Cardinal adjusted their game plan to suit the weather and were able to control possession for large portions of the game. After only 10 minutes Stanford got their first try after a series of short picks from the base of the ruck. Junior Izzy Jo was able to power over from close range. Junior Avery Tallman added the conversion for a 7­0 lead. This was how the rest of the first half played out, neither team was able to move the ball very wide due to the extreme weather conditions. It was Stanford’s strong forward picks that gave them the upper hand and 2 more tries before the half from Senior Jett Hayward and Junior Anna Park. Stanford went into halftime break with a 19­0 lead.
The second half was more of the same with neither side able to move the ball wide. Stanford continued with their picking game and also with some well­timed and well­placed kicks to keep the pack moving forward. Once in the opposition 22 Stanford utilized the strong pick and go game and were rewarded with 2 more tries from Senior Tatiana Balabanis and Sophomore Aneka Hansen. Tallman added the conversions to bring the score to 33­0. Cal hit back with a late converted try and ended the game in the Stanford 22 exerting pressure.
Stanford have a big weekend ahead with a double header at home against UC Davis at 7pm on Friday evening (February 8) and then against Humboldt at 11am on Sunday (February 10).