SMRC Women Win SoCal D1 Championship
Santa Monica advance as first seed out of SCRFU to Pacific Super Regionals at Las Vegas, April 24-27
Santa Monica took home the championship trophy, winning 41-24 over perennial favorites San Diego Surfers at Robb Field in San Diego this past Saturday.
Third time was the charm, as previous strong games this season fell short against the Surfers, but in the final they were firing on all cylinders.
Of special note, three ICEF alumnae scored tries on the day. Three tries from 2020 US Olympian Nia Toliver, two from ICEF legend Elona Williams, and the closing try from assistant coach Denecia Fernandes, who came on in the closing minutes to put a bow on it. (One try from Toliver was a 90-meter run following which, her cleat fell apart.) Another notable try came from scrumhalf Leanne Nguyen-Phuoc, who is new to the team this season, transferring from Belmont Shore.
Directing traffic and kicking 3 conversions, fly half Izzy Cerullo is a two-time Olympian for Brazil (2016, 2020), while veteran hooker Christina DerHagopian (pictured) led from the front for 80 minutes. In a complete team effort, Santa Monica held San Diego to their lowest point total for the whole season and broke the Surfers’ three-year run as D1 champs.
The Lady Dolphins return strong and confident to the fields at Henderson, Nevada, to compete in the Pacific Super Regional on Friday, April 24, with first round winners playing again on Sunday, April 26, for the chance to go to Chicago in May for the national semifinals. The other teams in the regional are Seattle, Berkeley and the Surfers, who qualified as the second seed from Socal. (Defending women’s 15s national champion Utah Vipers are playing this year through a different super regional.)
Head coach and SMRC Old Boy Taylor Manavian has two fantastic Assistant Coaches in Paxton Klein and Denecia Fernandes. (Having played youth rugby for Santa Monica, Paxton Klein is second generation Santa Monica Rugby; their father is Danny Klein.)
With just two weeks before Vegas Regionals, the Santa Monica women are raising $12,000 for hotel rooms and travel for a roster of 23, plus three coaches. Click on the QR code below to donate by credit card, Paypal or Venmo, or visit www.santamonicarugby.com/donate for the address to send a check or Zelle.
’Phins Up!
