CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Harvard women's rugby team returns from Florida after a weekend of top competition in the Tropical 7s tournament held at the Tournament Sports Complex in Tampa, FL. on April 7-8.
HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS
- The team sent two squads to compete in the Tropical 7s tournament: one in the U23 Elite Division and another in the U23 Open Division
- The Harvard Open team won the Plate Final against Durham College (17-12). The Harvard Elite team won the semifinal against Dartmouth (19-7), advancing to the Championship final where they fell to Life University (17-21).
- On the Open team, junior Caroline Kinghorn and first-year Eva Rankin scored their first career tries. Lehman went on to score a total of five tries over the two days.
FRIDAY GAME NOTES
Open
- The Open team was first to hit the pitch early on Friday morning. The team was seeded in Pool A, where the Crimson played against Florida State, Clemson, and Queens University.
- In the first game against Florida State, the Crimson notched their one victory of the day (29-10). Carly Lehman scored two tries and made a conversion on one, similar to Jordan Roe with a try and conversion, and Kade Kelsch with two tries.
- In the next two matches against Clemson then Queens University, the Crimson were unable to come out on top. In a match against Clemson, Jordan Roe scored and Caroline Kinghorn scored her first career try. The Crimson Open team capped their day with one try against Queens by junior co-captain Elianne Sacher.
Elite
- The Elite team played in the afternoon in Pool B against Life University, Lindenwood Univeristy, and Army West Point.
- In Friday's first match, the Crimson had a shutout win over Life Green(54-0). First-year Victoria Stanley and Cameron Fields tied for the game's top scorer with three tries each. First-years Reese Morgan and Charlotte Gilmour each scored one try and both the first of the spring season. Tiahna Padilla and Skylar Jordan both notched one try against the Running Eagles Elite team.
- In Game two, the Crimson faced an upset against Lindenwood Green with a 12-22 loss. The Crimson's points came from a try by Stanley, a conversion by Mior, and try by London.
- In game three, the Crimson returned with a redemption victory against NIRA rival Army West Point (29-12).
SATURDAY GAME NOTES
Open
- Playoff play started early Saturday morning with the quarter-finals, where the Crimson were defeated by Hawkeyes Rugby Academy (5-26). This resulted in the Harvard Open team competing in the Plate consolidation matches.
- In the Plate semifinal against Clemson, the Crimson had a redemption win over the Tigers (19-7). In this game, first-year Eva Rankin made her first career try.
- The Open team took home the Plate trophy after close game against Durham College where the Crimson beat the Lords 17-12.
Elite
- The Elite team also advanced to the quarter-finals, where they matched up against Lindenwood Black, where the Crimson beat the Lions 36-7.
- The Crimson then advanced to the Championship semifinals against NIRA rival Dartmouth. The Crimson defeated the Big Green 19-7 advancing the Elite team to the Championship Final against the Life University Black team.
- Harvard had a tough battle against the Lions, playing their closest game of the tournament. The Lions beat the Crimson 21-17, resulting in the Crimson finishing in second place for the division.
UP NEXT
The Crimson takes a bye week to prepare for the Ivy 7s Tournament on Saturday, April 22, hosted at Dartmouth. The Crimson aims to keep the Ivy League title for the second year.
