Eagles Soar Past Great Britain To Secure Olympic Semifinal Berth

USA Women’s Rugby sevens advances to Olympic semifinals after a thrilling 17-7 win over Great Britain and now is set to face New Zealand in pursuit of gold.

Jul 29, 2024 by Philip Bendon

Eagles Soar Past Great Britain To Secure Olympic Semifinal Berth

The USA Women’s Rugby sevens team is advancing to the Olympic medal round after a thrilling quarterfinal victory over Great Britain.

The day started with a challenging match against the host French team, resulting in a tough loss. Despite this setback, the match served as a motivating force for the Team USA squad, which knew it needed a win in the next match to progress.

The quarterfinal against Team GB was intense and physical, but the USA bench played a crucial role in securing a 17-7 victory, bringing the team one step closer to the podium.

The United States now looks forward to the semifinal round Tuesday in Paris, where they will face the reigning gold medalist, New Zealand, at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, live on Peacock.

Ilona Maher initiated the scoring with a powerful first try in the first half, but two turnovers in the USA end allowed France to capitalize, leading to a 31-14 victory for the home team.

The passionate French crowd significantly boosted its team’s energy, as noted by Ariana Ramsey.

“That was one of our tougher games; the crowd had an impact on the energy brought by France," she said. "We had to fight through that to get back on our own ground."

Reflecting on the electric atmosphere at Stade de France, Ramsey added, “This is definitely unprecedented. We’ve played in some stadiums that have been full, but this is another level; I love it. It’s great for us.”

Kristi Kirshe echoed these sentiments, recognizing the challenge of playing against France in their home country.

“We knew coming into this tournament that playing France, in France, would be one of our toughest games, and it proved to be that," Kirshe said. "I think it could be the best thing to happen to us, though; we know we’re still going through two quarters, so I think this will give us a little motivation to bounce back."

After a six-hour recovery period, the USA faced Great Britain in the quarterfinals.

The match began with an unusual standing maul, before Ellie Boatman scored for Team GB. However, the USA responded with tries from Naya Tapper, Kirshe, and Sammy Sullivan. The physical match saw both teams battling hard, but the USA held strong to secure the win and advance to the semifinals.

Co-captain Lauren Doyle expressed her excitement after the quarterfinal win.

“The quarterfinal is the game that we train for," she said. "It decides your top 4, so to come out there and get the job done against the team that devastated us three years ago, I can’t even put into words how perfect that situation was. It took every single one of us doing our job, connecting and getting the momentum back together, it was just a really special moment, and I am so excited for the semi."

Next, the USA faces New Zealand in the semifinals Tuesday. The team aims to maintain its momentum and pursue a first Olympic gold medal.