Cobras Strike in NC Girls 7s

10.20.2026HS Girls

Raleigh Cobras U16s and U19s combines are 11-0 this fall.

Author: Alex Goff

The Raleigh Cobras ran the table for the second weekend in North Carolina girls 7s,

After this past weekend the Cobras U19s are now 6-0 and the Cobras U16s are 5-0.

Raleigh Cobras Girls 7s Results So Far This Fall
Cobras U16s 27-0 Winston-Salem
Cobras U16s 28-21 Southern Pines
Cobras U19 28-7 Huskies
Cobras U16s 12-5 Cardinals
Cobras U16s 24-12 Southern Pines
Cobras U19s 26-21 Redhawks
Cobras U19s 28-0 Wando
Cobras U19s 42-0 Southern Pines
Cobras U16s 26-5 Southern Pines
Cobras U19s 45-7 Cardinals
Cobras U19s 57-0 Highlanders

"We are really lucky that we get girls to play both seasons, 7s and 15s," said Coach Mary Lastowski. "With a few exceptions we get our girls to come out for 7s and it's a great opportunity to build for 15s."

The Cobras field two teams but they don't have massive depth, meaning that most players play a full 14 minutes each game.

"We decided to take on that challenge," said Lastowski. "That way we get these girls as many minutes as possible."

With a good feeder program the Cobras are able to get some young players time—the younger players playing U16s are able to demystify playing against older players.

Overall the team's success comes down to hard work.

"We do the hard things," said Lastowski. "We make them pretty uncomfortable at practice. We run a ton of fitness and the younger girls train with the older girls when appropriate. So we've seen a ton of growth with these younger girls and they see that playing up is not scary."

And the girls learn to be uncomfortable, playing tired and knowing what they can do when they are tired has been a big part of their success.

"The girls are playing a lot of minutes so they know they can't raise their hands and be pulled. So it all comes down to fitness," said Lastowski. "They might not love me at practice, but in the games it finally clicked as to why we manage the team that way."

Leading the way for the Cobras U19s are Lillian DeSoto, a tough-minded player who constantly punches above her weight. Reva Jain is versatile back who can make plays at scrumhalf, flyhalf, or center. Adria Doyle brings athleticism and is in the USA age-grade pathway. Emma Baildon is an interesting addition. New to any sort of organized sport last year, the six-footer chose rugby and has come on in leaps and bounds.

For the U16s, Gwynn Lastowski (the coach's daughter) is a freshman with a ton of game understanding and field vision who gets the team going forward. Sophomore Anastasia Englebrecht is a smart rugby player who, like Lastowski, has earned some U19 minutes, too.

These players drive the bus but no one can afford to be a passenger for the Cobras, as they also look ahead to what could be a successful 15s season.

"We are excited for 15s," said Lastowski. "We have two girls who had ACL tears last year who will be back. We are looking for opportunities to play outside the state. These girls need to play more competition."

More time, more games, more opportunities—seems like they have a plan.