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This season has been a season of firsts for the women's club as they continue to grow. They were able to see record numbers coming out to practice and managed to have a competitive B side squad. They hosted the Mid Atlantic Rugby Football Union's regional tournament for the first time which gave them home field advantage for the tournament. Harrisburg, Raleigh and Norfolk all ought teams to the Severna Park pitch, but it was Severn River who took home the title. They played Raleigh in a hard fought game 1 on Saturday, the win which secured them a bid in Nationals. The final score was 22-10. That game was personal to many of the women who returned from last season. Last season, Severn River traveled to Raleigh and saw them in the Regional title match losing only by 1 try. Raleigh would continue onto the National tournament and win which gave the regional union, MARFU, two bids to Nationals this year. Norfolk beat Harrisburg in another close match on Saturday to secure their spot in FL as well. Sunday's championship match was another close game with Severn coming out on top, 22 to 15, and securing the first place spot. Norfolk will also travel as the 7th seed in a pool of 8.
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Severn will play the number 8 seed out of Southern California region, the Las Vegas Slots, on Friday at 11 am. The matches on Saturday and Sunday will be determined by the winners of Friday and then Saturday's matches. All matches can be streamed on USA rugby's website (ustream.tv/usarugby). When asked about Nationals, women's team President Katie Turner says, “We are really excited for the weekend. We have been able to develop a team with a lot of depth who functions as one unit. Our motto this year was 40 as 1 and we have stuck to that. This weekend is for not only the ladies on the pitch, but the entire Severn River family.” The team is coached by Pamela Gouws and John Webster. Gouws is in her first year with Severn after coming off of a great career with the University of Maryland women's team. Her experience from her playing years and coaching has been invaluable to the team. Check into USA Rugby's website for updates throughout the weekend. www.usarugby.org.
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Severn River Rugby
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The Severn River R.F.C. is a Rugby Football Club located near Annapolis, the State Capital of Maryland. Since it's inception, over 30 years ago, the club has played an integral role in forwarding the sport of rugby football in the region. Severn River is an organization that not only supports the recreation of the sport, but also the legacy of the sport. The club invites players from all age and skill levels to attend, and presently offers Mens, Womens, Under 19s and Old Boys (Salts) competitions.
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