Hello from warm and humid Florida. The team came down to Jacksonville last night and then drove 2 hours this morning. We had a good run through and I think the team is ready to play.
Tomorrow we play against UMass in the round of 16. We are #1 and they are #16, but UMass have a good rugby pedigree and have been to the National Championships several times. Their coach, Frank Caruso, does a good job and we expect a very physical pack that will be big and put us under some pressure.
Our game plan is going to be around launching on defense to put pressure on UMass’ handling with a strong launch, and to focus on retaining possession in attack. We think if we can win 3+ rucks we have a great chance of scoring. Here is the line-up for tomorrow’s game:
1. Kelly Sager
2. Alyssa Boff
3. Lauren Poole
4. Steph Mellot
5. Jen Robinson
6. Leslie Walsh
7. Leah Fadden
8. Kyle Armstrong
9. Amanda Mesa
10. Sadie Anderson
11. Amanda Ortiz-Cruz
12. Hannah Gregor
13. Deven Owsiany
14. Sarah Dickens
15. Rachael Muir (capt)
The team has had some good news this weekend, as we expect Christiane Pheil to be declared eligible and participate this weekend. However we are still not sure what is happening with BYU. They have stated that they will not play on Sunday so it is possible that we may not have a game on Sunday, or they will be declared ineligible and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will get a bye in the first round.
Check back for regular updates on the weekend and don’t forget to follow the game on twitter.
Please support the team financially. This is only the second time that we have had to ask players to pay to travel for Nationals. You can donate online by giving to the annual fund.
