USA Shows Mettle and Bronze is Spiffy
USA Shows Mettle and Bronze is Spiffy
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.
The second half started as much of the last few games had progressed for the Eagles—the USA trying to get out of their 22. Australia benefited from a decision in the ruck that set up a sure try in the corner ... except the pass didn't quite go to hand and it was knocked-on.
Still Australia pressured and finally they were able to get over, with Levi Maddison scoring her second. But it had taken five minutes to get over. The USA tackling was superb. They didn't worry too much about the poach, a little bot not too much. What the Eagles did do was work hard on defense. They did give up the try, but the timing was fine—90 seconds left and it was only 12-7 as the conversion slid across the front of the posts.
Australia kicked off and the ball landed between Ariana Ramsey and Steph Rovetti. On these types of moments medals hang in the balance. Rovetti gathered the ball and ran hard upfield with support behind her. As time ticked below 20 seconds Ramsey passed out to Ilona Maher, who attracted two tacklers but went to ground with Lauren Doyle ready to secure. Driven back closer to their tryline, the USA had a ton over work to do and one mistake would end it all. Sedrick took the next pass and two defenders came after her. But they went a bit high, trying to tie up the ball.
Sedrick shrugged off one and fended the other, and saw then that Australia had been hoping to exert maximum defensive pressure to close out the game. No sweeper. Nothing but green in front of her. From five meters in front of her line, Sedrick took off. The former Life University star and Utah native, who had come back from injury to fight for time on this team kept running. No one could catch her, and 95 meters later she was under the posts.
It was 12-12, with no time left, and when Sedrick herself slotted the conversion the game was over. Heartbreak for Australia, elation for the USA—an Olympiv Bronze Medal ... not Gold, true, but still the first rugby medal for the USA in 100 years, when, also in Paris, the men's 15s team won Gold.
Sedrick, not the face of the team, for sure, might be a household name now.
USA 14
Tries: Kelter, Sedrick
Convs: Kelter, Sedrick
Australia 12
Tries: M. Levi 2
Convs: Hinds
Notes: USA Roster: Ariana Ramsey, Ilona Maher, Kayla Canett, Sam Sullivan, Alev Kelter, Lauren Doyle (c), Naya Tapper (c), Alex Sedrick, Alena Olsen, Steph Rovetti, Sarah Levy, Kristi Kirshe.
Also, USA referee Kat Roche capped off a big year for her by refereeing the Gold Medal match, a superb honor for her and much deserved.
Emilie Bydwell, who doesn't get a medal because she's the coach, is the only female rugby Head Coach at the Olympics, and she led the team to a Bronze Medal. In fact, she's the first female coach to lead her team to a rugby medal ... ever.
Maddison Levi scored a try in every Olympic match, a feat New Zealand’s Portia Woodman-Wickliffe accomplished in Rio 2016. Levi set a record with 14 tries in the tournament.
Canada surprised many by not only making the semifinals but acheiving a Silver Medal. This was huge for Canada and it's important to remember that American rugby is strong when Canadian rugby is strong. They fell 19-12 to New Zealand in the final, which was an impressive showing.
Final Women's Olympic Finish:
Gold: New Zealand
Silver: Canada
Bronze: USA
4th: Australia
5th: France
6th: Ireland
7th: China
8th: Great Britain
(The China vs GB game was 15-14 with no time left when GB threw the ball into touch. That's a penalty. You can kick or run the ball into touch, but you can't throw it into touch. China tapped, went left, then right, and scored to win it.)
9th: Brazil
10th: Fiji
11th: Japan
12th: South Africa
