- Apr 7
- 3 min read

Tropical 7's -- Day 2 Recap

What an exciting day 2 North Shore had in Tampa at Tropical 7s! Based on our pool play record from day 1, we went into the playoff rounds as the #1 seed from Pool A. Thank you to Woody's uncle, Bill Ackerman, for sharing these great shots of North Shore in action.

Quarterfinals: North Shore vs. US Naval Academy

First, our North Shore 7's faced the US Naval Academy. The first half was tight with good competition and fresh legs, but we went into halftime with a lead. Our hard work and conditioning really showed off in the second half as we found another gear. The defense stepped up with some beautiful steals and forced turnovers. We didn’t let Navy score in the second half and won the game 22-5.

Semifinals: North Shore vs. Chicago Lions

On to the semi-finals! We met the Chicago Lions in our second match of day 2. Our defense was very strong and immediately applied pressure, keeping the Lions in their own territory. A strong, consistent phase and some smart running led to a try for North Shore. The Lions responded with a try of their own a couple of minutes later, tying the game 5-5. During the last play of the half, the Lions scored and converted to bring the score to 5-12. Within a minute of the second half starting, North Shore broke a tackle and sprinted to the try zone to add another 5 points, tightening the game at 10-12. Defenses from both teams showed off for the next six minutes with no scores as time was ticking down. The clock expired with North Shore in possession of the ball deep in our own end. The green and gold drove down the field with determination and fight. In a true team effort, North Shore dove across the try line and dotted the ball down to secure the win. North Shore heads to the finals over the Lions, 15-12.

Finals: North Shore vs. MacDowell

The finals were set as North Shore vs. MacDowell from Vancouver. MacDowell brought an all-star roster to Tropical 7's, comprised of experienced players from all over the world including several players from the Canadian 7's program and a former USA Eagle on their roster. This was an exciting match but unfortunately, the score didn’t reflect our efforts. MacDowell was quick to recognize opportunities and capitalize on any mistakes. After two long and exciting days of 7's, MacDowell got the best of us. The match showcased an extremely high level of competition, and we are using the lessons learned to prepare for our next tournament. When time expired, MacDowell won the finals 36-0.

Wrapping Up

While the finals didn’t go the way we wanted, North Shore is thrilled to take 2nd place at such an elite tournament. Tropical 7's gave us high-level game experience, opportunities to see different combinations, and team bonding time. We are excited to bring back some great lessons to Chicago and hit the practice fields again.

Coach Trout shared her insights on the weekend:

I’m extremely proud of the growth this squad showed over the two days of competition.

We overcame adversity and challenged ourselves to play up. That effort led us to a top

2 finish against some truly high-level competition.

As a coach, I had two big goals for our tours this year:

1. To expose our players to high-level rugby and to players from across the country.

Thus giving our squad the chance to learn from others and to share our approach. We

had players from Washington, Arizona, Tennessee, Iowa, Florida, North Carolina, and

Illinois join our ranks.

2. To continue to establish the NS7's brand as one of the top programs in the country. I

think both tours this year did just that. Two tours and two podium finishes.

We’re excited for the challenges that 2024 will bring and we have some big plans for

our summer. Come get involved in the #RiseofNorthShore!

Thank YOU, North Shore Community

As a team, we rely heavily on our supporters and donors. Our team is thankful to the entire community of alumni, sponsors, supporters, and whatever Venn diagram that forms.

We appreciate every fan at our games, every text of support, and every penny donated. 7's players often take on the financial burden of travel, lodging, and tour fees so every donation helps offset the personal cost of wearing the green and gold. We hope our passion and performance make you all proud.

From the deepest depths of our hearts, thank you.