Vail Rugby Club women’s squad claims runner-up finish at Game of Cones 7 tourney in Denver
Vail won its first three matches before falling in the championship game
Courtesy photo
The Vail Rugby Club women finished runner-up at the Game of Cones 7s Tournament at Cook Park in Denver on Saturday.
Vail defeated the Denver Black Ice 21-17 in the morning match, took down Rocky Mountain Rugby 29-5 in the second game and topped Grey Wolves 2 by three points in its third contest. In the championship game, Vail fell to the Grey Wolves 1 squad 28-5.
“I was super proud of the way our women played today,” coach Joe Lippert stated. “Beating a quality D1 team like the Black Ice in the first match really set the tone for the rest of the day.”
The Denver Black Ice Women’s Rugby Football Club has competed in Division 1 rugby for more than three decades. Established in 1991, the Rocky Mountain Rugby Football Union squad is the longest standing women’s rugby club in the state.
Camilla Wood, a Utah State player, scored four tries over the four games to lead Vail. Teammates Grace Hovde added three scores and Ella Wilkison pitched in with a try as well. Lippert said the trio split captain duties throughout the afternoon.
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“All were impactful players today,” the coach added.
The women were coming off a 24-17 win over Aspen on July 5. In that game, Vail scored a game-winning breakaway in extra time. On Saturday, Lippert was proud of the team’s ability to force turnovers and find continuity in its attack. Vail also played stingy defense and didn’t allow any quick or easy scores, he said.
“For the team’s first summer bringing in college women’s players, finishing as runners-up is huge,” Lippert stated. “This group seems to genuinely enjoy playing together and you can see it with the way they click both on and off the pitch.”
Both Vail Rugby Club men’s and women’s teams are back in action this Saturday in Steamboat Springs for the Cowpie Classic.
“We are looking forward to getting our fix of 15s rugby next weekend,” Lippert said. “Big thanks to Mariah Vandiver for joining as a visiting player/assistant coach and adding that extra something to help us win close matches.”
