Last October, former Lions rugby player Charles Labry was remembered by the creation of the Charles Labry Memorial Shield, which would be awarded to the winning team every time that Lindenwood and Davenport faced each other.  The Panthers won that first meeting 7-3 and were presented with the trophy to honor the fallen player, who was struck and killed by a vehicle on October 18.

The two teams faced each other again in an important Mid-South Conference battle on Saturday, and this time, the Lions prevailed 20-16 to bring the Shield back to St. Charles, Mo., but Lindenwood had to come from behind to do it.

Davenport scored early in the contest with a try at the four minute mark.  A successful conversion made it 7-0 for the Panthers, and they extended that advantage to 10-0 on a penalty kick.  The Lions finally broke the shutout when Mike Gierlach found the try zone midway through the half, but the conversion failed, leaving Lindenwood trailing 10-5.  The Lions tied the game on a try from Sebastian Kalm at the 25 minute mark, but once again, the conversion was unsuccessful.  Two more penalty kicks gave Davenport a 16-10 lead as the first half came to an end.

The second half would prove to be decisive for the Lions.  Coach JD Stephenson mixed his line-up a bit and that move seemed to provide a spark for the team as they held the Panthers scoreless the rest of the game while mounting a nice comeback.  Gabe Farley crossed the try line to pull Lindenwood to within a single point and Lunaile Tshuma followed with a long conversion from the sideline to put the Lions ahead 17-16.  Tshuma added a penalty kick later in the half for the final margin of victory.

With the win, Lindenwood improved to 7-3-1 overall and 1-1 in Mid-South Conference play, which sets up a key match-up March 21 against Life University at home.  If the Lions are victorious, they will tie the Running Eagles and stay alive for the conference title.  The opening kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Mo.