As predicted, the Boston Belles won their first Northeast 7s Qualifier of the season, the second in the series, and get on the rankings with 24 points. Since they didn’t participate in the first qualifier, the team is currently ranked third, while New York stays on top with 34 points and Morris bumps up to second with 30. But according to tournament director Chris St. Onge, the Belles were the class of the tournament and look good to repeat as NRU champs.

The five-team format made for a non-traditional playing format, but the Belles exited the day undefeated (4-0), defeating Morris 52-0, the Falcons 38-0, New York 29-7 and the Pony Express 15-12 in the final.

“Overall, we were successful this weekend due to a combination of calm and disciplined communication and striking hard when the opportunity presented itself,” Belles captain Danielle Miano said. “We tend to get caught up into contact against more physical teams, which we need to work on. We are still working on integrating the new faces with the Belles’ style of play and becoming a team that knows each others’ strengths and can use them to our advantage through the course of a tournament.”

Some of those new faces that impressed were Alyssa Green, who lit up the Chicago North Shore sidelines during the team’s run to a DI national championship last fall. Katie O’Malley and Anne Venner are also welcome additions, and new coach Bryan Hamlin has been a key to getting the team functioning at high gear.

The Pony Express also did well in their first qualifier of the season, falling just short to the Belles in the final. The motley team plays a more forward-oriented style of 7s and their physicality posed some problems for the eventual champions. The Pony Express was fettered by injuries early on, and put in a gutsy performance with only six players in the title match. New York, as well, were hampered by injuries, and the Jo Jo Moore champions finish fifth with a 1-3 record. The Falcons finished third and Morris ended the day in fourth.

The Belles hit the road this weekend for the Midnight 7s in New York City. The third and final qualifier will occur on July 14 at the New Haven 7s, and is followed by the NRU championships at Hell Gate 7s in NYC. Below are the current Northeast Women’s 7s standings:

NRU Women 7s Standings