Williams' Kirshe, U.S. Women Earn Historic Bronze Medal
In dramatic fashion Tuesday, the U.S. women's rugby sevens and Williams College graduate Kristi Kirshe beat Australia, 14-12, to win the bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Games.
Alex Sedrick made a run from deep in the Americans' defensive zone for a try with time expired to erase a 12-7Si deficit against the favored Aussies.
Kirshe, who dominated Team USA's quarter-final victory on Monday to get to the medal round, started and played the length of Tuesday's semi-final loss and the third-place win.
After Australia, the 2016 gold medalist, was shocked by Canada in the semi-finals, the Wallabies jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first two minutes of the bronze match.
With just more than a minute left in the first half, America's Alev Kelter scored a try off a restart from the 5-meter line, and the conversion tied the score, 7-7, going to half-time.
Early in the second half, Australia appeared to be going in for a try to take the lead, but a fumble through the try zone gave the ball back to the Americans.
Australia did break through about three minutes later, scoring with 1 minute, 41 seconds left on the clock to take the 12-7 lead.
Sidrick's heroic run turned the tables after the seven-minute clock expired and gave the U.S. its first medal of any kind in women's rugby.
The U.S. last won a medal in rugby in Paris in 1924 in 15s. Sevens (seven-on-seven) rugby was introduced to the Olympics in 2016.
