USD Rugby West Coast 7s Recap day 2

USD entered day 2 already having out performed their seeing in the tournament, but the goal was to continue to exceed expectations. Cal Poly loomed as the opponent in the quarterfinals. The Mustangs had beaten Cal at a tournament just 2 weeks ago, so they were sure to be a formidable opponent. USD entered the game as heavy underdogs with eyes on an upset

Cup Quarterfinal game vs Cal Poly

USD entered the game intent on pulling of a shock result, and everything started according to plan. Jordan Sandoval manufactured a try for himself out of nowhere, selling a dummy and outracing everybody to score. 5-0 to start was just what USD intended. The rest of the half was unfortunately filled with missed chances for USD, with several great opportunities left begging. Cal Poly would score once to put the score at 7-5 at half time. The second half was a great opportunity for USD to really make a statement. Unoruntaley a few more missed opportunities for USD led to tries against the run of play. It was a game USD absolutely could have won, but the razor-sharp execution needed at this level of play was lacking. Final score USD 5- Cal Poly 26

Plate Semifinal vs Stanford

While USD has been knocked out of the cup round, a chance for hardware was still on the table. With a qualifier tournament in mind the following weekend, managing minutes continued to be important for USD. The bench players started for USD and performed well in a back and forth 1st half. Henri Vatinel scored a try for USD after a long period of possession. Unfortunately, Vatinels 1 score would be outweighed by Stanfords 2. The normal starting lineup did not have the juice needed after a long weekend of games, and their introduction into the game in the second half could not swing things back in USD’s favor. Final Score USD 7- Stanford 10

Day 2 was incredibly disappointing for USD, and the squad went home knowing it could have been in the cup semi-final if the execution was better. Despite the disappointment, USD outperformed their seedings and the expectation of many teams at the tournament. We finished level in the tournament with PAC conference powerhouse Utah, and above traditional D1A powers like San Diego State and UC Davis. In addition to the team accomplishments, Mickey Miller was named to the tournament dream team by Rugby 7s Magazine, a great achievement. USD will hope to build on the performance 10/26 in the San Diego 7s tournament, hosted at USD.

Mickey Miller with the carry against Cal Poly