Photo from USA Rugby.
The USA Women’s Rugby Team will appear at Scion Restaurant in Silver Spring Sunday, July 30 for a fundraiser and send-off dinner prior to heading to Ireland for the Women’s Rugby World Cup in August.
The Eagles will be at the venue, located at 1200 East-West Highway, from 6-8:30 p.m. VIP tickets holders can meet the team and coaches beginning at 6 p.m. for meet-and-greet opportunities, heavy appetizers with beer and wine, co-hosted by Scion and USA Rugby Trust.
General ticketholders may enter at 7 p.m. to meet the team and partake of the food and drink.
VIP tickets are $175 each and general tickets $125. All proceeds will benefit the team, which is trying to raise $150,000 to offset the cost of training and the trip to Ireland.
The 28-member team was announced earlier this month after being chosen by Head Coach Pete Steinberg. Players include two Team USA Olympians, two international debutants, seven Women’s Premier League champions, and seven World Cup veterans.
The Eagles, currently ranked seventh, will play pool matches against reigning World Cup Champion England, Italy, and Spain in Pool B at University College Dublin Aug. 9-17 prior to knockout matches Aug. 22 and 26 in Belfast. The team finished sixth in the 2014 World Cup competition.
“With an experienced squad in 2014, we knew we had to get younger for this World Cup,” Steinberg said in a press release.
Noting that there were only three years between World Cups rather than the usual four, he added, “The shortened cycle has made getting so many players the experience they need challenging. This is a group that will need to grow through the tournament to be able to play at our top potential. It is exciting, though, to see so many players going to Ireland that will be eligible in 2021.”
Attempts to reach Scion’s owner for comment were unsuccessful.
Tickets for Sunday’s event are available here. Anyone who can’t attend but would like to make a contribution to the team’s expenses can do so here.
USA Women’s Eagles | Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017
v. Italy – Wednesday, Aug. 9 @ 11:30 a.m. ET
v. Spain – Sunday, Aug. 13 @ 9:45 a.m. ET
v. England – Thursday, Aug. 17 @ 9:30 a.m. ET
Semifinals – Tuesday, Aug. 22
Finals – Saturday, Aug. 26