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Day 1 from the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto is in the books. Here’s a recap of all of the matches and how the teams stand as they head into Day 2 and the Medal Rounds.
Men’s Division
After Day 1 of the Men’s competition the quarterfinals are set. The USA nailed down the #1 seed for the Quarterfinals with a 3-0 record as they outscored their opponents 126-7. This means that there will not be a rematch of the 2011 Gold Medal game as Canada and Argentina will likely face each other in the semifinals. Brazil could be a Dark Horse for the Bronze medal. They lost to both Argentina and Canada on Day 1, but gave both teams a good game. Uruguay are also in the hunt for a medal while the rest of the field will have to pull off big upsets to put themselves into medal position.
Gold/Silver Outlook – The USA have a pretty clear shot at reaching the Gold medal match. Canada and Argentina will likely face off in the semifinals to see who plays against the USA.
Bronze Outlook – After Day 1, Brazil looks to be a solid bet to reach the Bronze medal match where they’ll likely face the loser of the Argentina/Canada semifinal. A win by Uruguay over Brazil in the quarterfinals puts them in a position to medal.
Day 1 Men’s Recaps
USA 26 Chile 7 – A slow start for the USA as they took some time to get rolling, but finished with a comfortable win over Chile. Carlin Isles scored twice for the Eagles.
Uruguay 34 Mexico 0 – Uruguay got their tournament off to a great start with a convincing victory over Mexico. Tomas Etcheverry Cavanna scored two tries for Uruguay.
Argentina 19 Brazil 7 – Franco Sabato scored twice for Argentina as they fought off a solid Brazillian side. Needing a good showing, Brazil nearly pulled an early upset over Argentina.
Canada 45 Guyana 0 – The home side came out firing as they rolled over Guyana. Canada scored seven tries with Matthew Mullins scoring twice for the Maple Leafs. Nathan Hirayama added 13 points on a try and four conversions.
USA 48 Mexico 0 – With early jitters out of their system, the Eagles pounded their neighbors to the south. Mike Te’o and Perry Baker each scored twice to pace the USA attack.
Uruguay 20 Chile 17 – In the barn burner of the day, Uruguay rolled out to a 20-0 lead only to watch Chile roar back and nearly finish off the comeback. Rodrigo Silva Pisano scored two tries to lead Uruguay to victory.
Argentina 41 Guyana 0 – Two tries from Emiliano Boffelli paced Argentina who scored a total of seven tries as the roughed up Guyana.
Canada 26 Brazil 14 – Canada got tries from four different players to hold off a resilient Brazilian side.
Chile 38 Mexico 0 – Chile capped off a rough day for Mexico as they were dealt their third shutout of the day. Francisco Gonzalez Moller paced Chile with 11 points on a try and three conversions.
USA 52 Uruguay 0 – It wasn’t a surprise that the USA won, but the margin as Uruguay looked to push the Eagles. The USA got tries from eight different players as they finished Day 1 on a high note and secured the #1 seed going into the quarterfinals.
Brazil 31 Guyana 5 – A fitting end to a hard-fought day for Brazil as they picked up a solid win over Guyana. Gustavo Barreiros De Albuquerque scored twice and Lucas Rodrigues Duque added a try and two conversions.
Argentina 21 Canada 7 – Argentina dealt the home side a loss to finish Day 1. The two sides likely have a date tomorrow in the semifinals, but this match could prove to be significant. Canada will now face a tougher quarterfinal opponent in Chile before their semifinal. Emiliano Boffelli continued his scoring barrage as he added two more tries to bring his total to four on the day for Argentina.
Quarterfinals
USA vs Guyana
Uruguay vs Brazil
Canada vs Chile
Argentina vs Mexico
Women’s Division
Day 1 in the Women’s competition lacked drama as only one match was determined by fewer than 7 points. The next closest match was decided by 17 points. Much of Day 1 was one-way traffic. As expected, Canada and the USA both won all three of their Day 1 matches. They also each beat their next closest competitor, Brazil whom showed well on Day 1 despite their losses to the USA and Canada. Argentina and Colombia both finished Day 1 with the same 1-2 records as Brazil while Mexico went 0-3.
Gold/Silver Outlook – Barring any unforeseen upsets as the Women finish their pool round tomorrow, the USA and Canada should play in the Gold Medal match regardless of how they do against each other in their pool match tomorrow.
Bronze Outlook – Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia each have 1-2 records. Brazil has the upper hand on Argentina by way of their 22-5 victory. They’ll face Colombia and Mexico on Day 2 and should secure a place in the Bronze match. The Colombia/Argentina match should decide the other Bronze competitor.
Day 1 Women’s Recaps
Canada 55 Colombia 0 – Canada rolls out a nine-try barrage to open up the tournament in style. Canada’s Karen Paquin scores two tries to lead the charge.
USA 26 Brazil 7 – Brazil show that they didn’t come to Toronto to be pushed around by the big dogs. Kristen Thomas, Kelly Griffin, Kate Zachary, and Megan Bonny score for the Eagles.
Argentina 40 Mexico 5 – Maria Botelli and Sofia Gonzalez each score two tries as Argentina gets their tournament off to a good start.
USA 40 Colombia 0 – USA dominates the match up between the NACRA Champs and the South American Champs. Kristen Thomas scorches Colombia for three tries.
Brazil 22 Argentina 5 – Brazil continues to show progress as they take down Argentina. Claudia Jaqueline Lopes Teles scores two tries to pace Brazil’s attack.
Canada 60 Mexico 0 – The Maple Leafs continue to roll as they pound Mexico. Kelly Russell and Magali Harvey each score three tries in the rout.
USA 54 Argentina 7 – Argentina scored first, but that’s where it ended as the USA scores the next 54 points. Kristen Thomas scored two more tries to bring her Day 1 total to 6 tries as the USA run across eight tries. USA and Canada on a crash course for each other.
Canada 36 Brazil 0 – Canada finishes Day 1 with a cumulative score of 151-0 to show everyone why they’re the favorite to win Gold. Magali Harvey adds two more tries to her Day 1 total to lead the Maple Leafs. Brazil finish Day 1 with a 1-2 record, but appear to be a strong favorite to win Bronze.
Colombia 24 Mexico 19 – Mexico took a 14-10 lead into halftime only to see Colombia pull past them in the second half. Colombia got tries from Estefania Ramirez Castillo, Laura Andrea Garcia Ortiz, Guadalupe De La Cruz Lopez Botero, as well as a penalty try that served as the difference in the match. Bertha Landeros scored two tries for Mexico in the losing effort.
The Women finish up pool play on Day 2 before being grouped into one-off medal match ups. There are a few matches that could have an effect on who plays in the Bronze medal match.
