Firehouse 7s Tournament Report
The Coalition brings it in after shutting out Chicago Women's Rugby 49-0.
The Cleveland Rugby Coalition kicked off their inaugural campaign on June 22, 2018 with a social division win at Firehouse 7’s in Lemont, IL.
The Coalition beat the Lady Blaze 39-0 to open the tournament. With six different players scoring points it was a total team effort that showcased the months of practice and preparation leading up to the opener. Fast play and continuous ball movement through offloads allowed the Coalition to maintain the majority of the possession and keep the Lady Blaze from getting on
the scoreboard.
In the second match of the day, Marcaya Bailous, the leading try scorer for the Coalition, put in four tries and anchored a solid defensive effort as the Coalition shut out Chicago Women’s Rugby by a score of 49-0. Again making use of quick ball movement and a wide field the Coalition dominated possession spreading the ball wide and attacking space, while shutting
down any counter attack by Chicago with solid one on one defense.
Marcaya Bailous, the leading try scorer for the Coalition, put in four tries and anchored a solid defensive effort as the Coalition shut out Chicago Women’s Rugby by a score of 49-0
In the last match of pool play the Coalition took in Metropolis and came away with a 46-5 win to stay unbeaten in Pool A. Led by the crisp passing of Hannah Long the Coalition spread the ball around the field attacking space and dictating the pace of play. A small defensive lapse allowed Metropolis to get on the board before the end of the first half but the Coalition came out of halftime strong led by Dakota Steed who finished with 25 points on 5 tries for the day.
The finals saw the Coalition pitted against an unbeaten Iowa squad from pool B. Captain Maura Fibbi opened up the scoring early as the Coalition jumped out to an early 7-0 lead. Iowa mounted a series of challenges trying to get on the board but a try saving tap tackle by Kaela Thompson kept the score sheet clean as the Coalition would go on to score twice more in the 2nd half to take the Championship by a score of 21-0.
A major shout out to our Sponsor Squad: Working Class Brewery, Balance Foot & Ankle Wellness, and ITZ Rugby!
We look forward to our next challenge at the Cleveland Crusader's Rock 'n Roll Sevens tournament on June 30th, 2018.
