It’s on to the Olympic medal rounds for the USA Women’s Rugby Sevens after a heart pumping quarterfinal win over Great Britain.
The day started with a tough loss to the home French side, but match one acted as a boost for the squad, just needing a win in the next match to advance. The quarterfinal was a chippy one between the USA and Team GB, however the bench came in strong to secure a 17-7 win and step closer to the podium. The USA will look ahead to the semifinal round on Tuesday in Paris, facing reigning gold medalists New Zealand at 9:30am ET, live on Peacock.
Ilona Maher opened scoring with an emphatic first try in the first half, but two turnovers in the USA end led to points for France. The home team would then be carried by the home crowd to a 31-14 win.
Ariana Ramsey said after the first match, “That was one of our tougher games, the crowd had an impact on the energy brought by France. We had to fight through that to get back on our own ground.”
When asked about the sold out atmosphere at Stade de France, Ramsey said, “This is definitely unprecedented, we’ve played in some stadiums that have been full but this is another level, I love it. It’s great for us.”
Kristi Kirshe said on the same match, “We knew coming into this tournament that playing France, in France, would be one of our toughest games, and it proved to be that. I think it could be the best thing to happen to us though, we know we’re still going through to quarters so I think this will give us a little motivation to bounce back.”
Match two would be nearly six hours after the France game, leaving a good gap of time for recovery and planning ahead of the evening Quarterfinal fixture. Great Britain was the opponent having also gone 2-1 in Pool play. Team GB coincidentally was the same quarterfinal opponent in 2021 when the USA were bounced from medal contention in Tokyo.
The game started with a peculiar standing maul for a lengthy period before the referee would finally call the possession to Great Britain. Ellie Boatman took advantage and found the try zone. Naya Tapper and Kristi Kirshe would answer with a pair of tries, alongside Sammy Sullivan. The quarterfinal was a physical affair, with both sides playing hard at the breakdown and bashing the gainline. In the end, USA held on to a late threat and won, 17-7 to advance.
Co-Captain, Lauren Doyle said after the quarterfinal win, “The quarterfinal is the game that we train for. It decides your top four, so to come out there and get the job done against the team that devastated us three years ago, I can’t even put into words how perfect that situation was. It took every single one of us doing our job, connecting and getting the momentum back together, it was just a really special moment, and I am so excited for the semi.”
Next up is a semifinal match up against New Zealand, who have been dominant. The USA will look to ride the wave into that match up and seek the programs first ever Olympic Gold Medal.
| Name | Hometown | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Alena Olsen | Caledonia, Michigan | Scrumhalf |
| Alev Kelter | Eagle River, Alaska | Center/Prop |
| Ariana Ramsey | King of Prussia, Pennsylvania | Wing |
| Ilona Maher | Burlington, Vermont | Center/Prop |
| Kayla Canett | Fallbrook, California | Flyhalf |
| Kristi Kirshe | Franklin, Massachusetts | Hooker/Prop |
| Lauren Doyle (C) | Boody, Illinois | Flyhalf |
| Naya Tapper (C) | Charlotte, North Carolina | Wing |
| Sammy Sullivan | Fayetteville, North Carolina | Prop/Hooker |
| Sarah Levy | San Diego, California | Hooker |
| Spiff Sedrick | Herriman, Utah | Center |
| Steph Rovetti | Reno, Nevada | Scrumhalf |
| Nicole Heavirland (Traveling Reserve) | Whitefish, Montana | Hooker/Scrumhalf |
| Kris Thomas (Traveling Reserve) | Philadelphia | Hooker/Prop |
General Manager of High Performance | Tamara Sheppard
Head Coach | Emilie Bydwell
Assistant Coach | Zack Test
Strength & Conditioning | Trey Ford
Team Manager | Liz Strohecker
Physiotherapist | Nicole Titmas
Team Doctor | Alex Myers
Sports Psychologist | Peter Haberl
Press Officer | Taylor Dean
Sunday, July 28
USA vs Japan | 36-7 (W)
USA vs Brazil | 24-5 (W)
Monday, July 29
USA vs France | 31-14 (L)
USA vs Great Britain (W)
Tuesday, July 30
USA vs New Zealand | 9:30AM ET
All matches will be live on Peacock TV with select games on NBC networks.
