Boston Banshees

Boston Banshees
FoundedJanuary 2025 (2025-01)
LocationBoston, Massachusetts
Ground(s)Veterans Memorial Stadium
Centreville Bank Stadium (Capacity: 5,000
10,500-11,000)
Coach(es)Kittery Wagner-Ruiz
Captain(s)TBA
League(s)Women's Elite Rugby
20254th

The Boston Banshees are an American semi-professional women's rugby union team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The team was founded in 2025 and is scheduled to play in the inaugural Women's Elite Rugby season.[1][2]

History

The Boston Banshees team crest features a Banshee from Irish folklore whose "shriek signals impending doom."[3] Because of New England's links to witches/folklore and also due to a strong Irish presence in the region, the Banshee was seen as a "seamless fit for the city."[3] The team also chose to use the colors of Moonlight White,Ghostly Gray, Blood-Moon Red and Midnight for their crest.[3]

Kittery Wagner-Ruiz who represented the United States at the 2010 and 2014 Rugby World Cup's was named as the team's first Head Coach.[4] Cassidy Bargell, Yejadai Dunn, Emily Henrich, Akweley Okine, and Paige Stathopoulos were named as the teams foundational five members.[5]

The Banshees will start the season at the Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy, Massachusetts and then play their final three matches at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.[6]

Players

Current squad

The Boston Banshees squad for the 2025 Women's Elite Rugby season is:[7]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Paige Stathopoulos Hooker United States
Catie Benson Prop United States
Salma Bezzat Prop United States
Lauren Ferridge Prop United States
Nickky Nguyen Prop United States
Akweley Okine Prop United States
Angie Owen Prop United States
Caitlin Weigel Prop United States
Eliza Altobelli Lock United States
Jenny Kronish Lock United States
Kaitlyn Sosa Lock United States
Shelby Vance Lock United States
Oliver Wright Lock United States
Yeja Dunn Back row United States
Genevieve Quirion Back row United States
Player Position Union
Natalie Armatage Scrum-half Canada
Cassidy Bargell Scrum-half United States
Ashley Cowdrey Scrum-half United States
Rachael Harkavy Fly-half United States
Alexandra Pipkin Fly-half United States
Abbey Savin Fly-half United States
Amanda Schweitzer Fly-half United States
Emily Henrich Centre United States
Jenni Laferriere Centre United States
Morgan Cunningham Wing United States
Katie Lohaus Wing United States
Emma Santosuosso Wing United States
Cheta Emba Fullback United States

References

  1. ^ "Boston Banshees". Women's Elite Rugby. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  2. ^ Pengelly, Martin (January 29, 2025). "'High-energy, risk-taking, intense' US women's league shows its rugby colors". The Guardian. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Smith, Allison (January 29, 2025). "Women's Elite Rugby (WER) Announces Their Highly Anticipated Team Names, Colors, and Crests Spearheaded by Partnership with MATTA". Women's Elite Rugby. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  4. ^ "Women's Elite Rugby (WER) Announces 2025 Head Coaches for Inaugural Season". Women's Elite Rugby. October 24, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  5. ^ Smith, Allison (February 5, 2025). "Boston Banshees Announces Their Foundational Five Players Ahead of the League's Inaugural Season". Women's Elite Rugby. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  6. ^ Smith, Allison (February 19, 2025). "Women's Elite Rugby (WER) Releases Venues, Schedule, and Tickets ahead of Inaugural Kickoff in March". Women's Elite Rugby. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  7. ^ Lane, Ro (February 18, 2025). "Boston Banshees Announce 2025 Athlete Roster". Women's Elite Rugby. Retrieved February 26, 2025.