NOVA Takes Third at Nationals, Aspen Wins USA Rugby 7s Crown

NOVA ended the 2008 summer season with a third-place finish at the 2008 National Club 7s Championships. The two-day event showcased the top 16 teams in the nation and featured excellent rugby throughout. NOVA came up short on Sunday with a loss to Aspen in the semifinals but managed to rally against Denver in for an overtime win. Aspen, NOVA, Denver and the Belmont Tigers emerged as pool winners in the National Club 7s Championships Saturday.



The battle for third place brought a nail-biting conclusion, as the Denver Barbarians bounced back from a 12-5 halftime deficit to lead Northern Virginia until late in the game, when NOVA’s P.J. Komongnan went the distance for a try and the successful conversion put the score at 19-19. Despite Denver's best efforts, NOVA rolled on to win, 24-19, after a try by Ed Stockunas only two minutes into sudden death.

On Saturday, NOVA dominated pool competition and finished with a plus-87-point scoring differential, the highest at the tournament. Wary of a second-day letdown, NOVA faced rivals Maryland in the first match of the day and managed a 12-7 win. Blessed with plenty of team speed and 7s smarts, Aspen blanked NOVA in the semi-final match 33-0, handing the team their only loss of the season.

Aspen's Mike Palefau made an early statement by intercepting a pass inside his own 22 and rumbled for a 90-meter try. Aspen then made a further statement by hauling in P.J. Komongnan from behind to prevent a try later in the match. "PJ never gets caught from behind," said NOVA manager Bill Gardner. "That was a surprise."

The Gentlemen of Aspen defeated the Belmont Tigers, 26-24, to win the 2008 National Club 7s Championships. The teams traded scores throughout the game, but it was Belmont who led most of the game. The Tigers held a 24-19 lead going into the final couple of minutes and attacked off a lineout near their own 22. Belmont spun the ball to midfield but Aspen then stole the ball at the breakdown and countered, eventually sending Jesse Pekkala in under the posts to tie the game. Kenyan international Teddy Omondi calmly slotted the conversion for the win.

NOVA on Sunday was playing without Seta Tuilevuka, who suffered a high ankle sprain against Boston on Saturday. "As much as we don't want to make excuses about one player, he's an important guy for us and it hurt," Bill Gardner said in an article on Erugby.com. Regardless, Tuilevuka was an essential player and team leader throughout the summer. Overall, across the board, every player and coach involved with the summer program feels a huge amount of accomplishment and reward for the team's success. Winning at the national level requires committment from all levels of the club and NOVA really showed thier talent in 2008 by finishing with a 29-1 record.


Results for NOVA at the 2008 National Club 7s Championships

Pool Play
NOVA 31, Mission 0
NOVA 29, Boston 7
NOVA 34, SFGG 7
Quarters
NOVA 12, Md. Exiles 7
Semis
NOVA 0, Aspen 33
Third-Place Final
NOVA 24, Denver 19

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