Scion in Atlanta: Day 1

The biggest news of the day, at the Atlanta 7's Tournament, was the USA's 12-5 defeat of New Zealand. Their victory against the Black Ferns landed them on top of their pool with an undefeated record, and gave the hometown crowd a great reason to fill the Kennesaw Stadium with a deluge of jubilant noise. It was an exciting game that gave USA Rugby fans something with which to ignite their American pride.

On the Festival side of the Atlanta 7's event, there was some great rugby as well from all divisions. The Scion Elite side opened the day with a shut-out victory against ARPTC. Led by powerful runs from players like Stacey Bridges and some great defensive play, including key turnovers from Abby Gustaitis, the Elite side maintained control of the ball for most of the game and continuously put points on the board.

In their second match of the day, the Elites once again shut-out their opponents. This time they gave Mad In Sevens a good thrashing. Elizabeth Trujilio was a menace around the breakdown, causing turnover after turnover, and on the offensive end, Sam Pankey put up a hat trick to give Scion a very large and sharp edge in this match.

The Scion High School Side played some stellar rugby as well. Like the Elite side, they went 2-0 on the day, beating the Norfolk Harvesters and Glendale. For the High School Side, going undefeated is a special thing, since this is the first time that some of these young ladies have ever played together.

However, with a team that was fully willing to work together and work with a wide range of talent-- bruisers like birthday girl, Hannah Moran, speedsters like Daz Williams, and work horses like Mikayla Lowe--the Scion High School Side was not only able to take the 'W' in both of their games, they showcased some great skill.

Both the Scion Elite Side and the Scion High School Side will compete in their divisions' semi-final rounds tomorrow morning, and both hope to bring home the cup from the Atlanta 7's Festival.