It's a Bronze Medal for the USA Women's 7s team, and while many players had a hand in it, in the end they have Alexandra "Spiff" Sedrick to thank.
Without the 2020 MA Sorensen Award winner's astonishing length-of-the-field try, we'd be talking about an Aussie medal instead.
After a competitive loss to New Zealand in the semifinal, a game in which they were out of it before Kristi Kirshe broke through for a long-range consolation try, the Eagles still had a medal to chase. Canada had upset Australia, meaning the Bronze Medal would require the Americans to beat a team that had given them trouble.
But that late Kirshe try showed they had fight, and 24-12 against New Zealand isn't a bad score—if the USA was going to prevail, then they had to make tackles and battle.
Australia, for their part, have been leveraging a tactic that many coaches advise against, running sideways. Carla Caslick and Madison Levi, especially, liked to run sideways and drag defenders with them. If the defenders didn't follow, they'd take a gap. If the defenders chased, there's be space for someone else. But throughout the game the Eagles chase under control. They would fold around the sideways runner, send one player to make a tackle, and cut off any options.
Still, Australia struck first. Levi Madison running a cutback line after the Eagles were rather harshly penalized on a counterruck.
Tia Kinds converted for the 7-0 lead. The Eagles put together a long period of work after that, running through the phases, and being patient. Eventually play was called for a TMO look at a tackle, and Teagan Levi was sin-binned for a high tackle on the USA's Kayla Cannett. But the Australia defense was very good and they stymied the USA at every turn. Cannett looped around to try to go into the corner but was just taken into touch before she could touch it down. But from that lineout the USA was able to pressure Australia into their in-goal. The Australians were forced to touch it down and give the Eagles a five-meter scrum.
By this point the yellow card had expired, but the Eagles did get over, with Alev Kelter going low and direct. She converted her own try and it was 7-7 at halftime.
