After not playing for over two months, men's rugby took one on the chin in a 19-3 loss to Central Washington Saturday night at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Missouri.

Despite the final score, it was a close match for most of the game.  The Wildcats were able to take a 7-0 lead on a try and conversion in the 25^th minute and the score stayed that way into the second half.  Lindenwood was able to get a penalty kick to make it 7-3, but CWU continued to grind away and take calculated chances on offense.  The Lions had opportunities down the edges of the field, but struggled to properly manipulate the defense.  The Wildcats added two tries and a conversion late in the game for the final margin.

Even though his team was defeated, head coach Josh Macy highlighted some standout performances.

"Toma Ghattas led the scrum against a much larger forward pack and added some strong carries and consistent support," Macy said.  "Chance Wenglewski is developing into a much better player around the field.  He defended well in space and made some great cover tackles, and Wes Parker is all effort and a great spark at the breakdown and with ball in hand."

Junior flyback Nick Feakes assessed the match.

"The game was tough. We found ourselves on the back foot for much of it due to poor discipline and simple errors," he said.  "Central Washington was a strong and skillful team that took advantage of the opportunities we gave them. But, the most important thing to me was that the effort was there. The other things are fixable and we will be looking to bounce back in Colorado."

Sophomore center Sam Chapman gave some credit to the Wildcats, but was optimistic about the Lions.

"They were a very physically imposing team," he said.  "We struggled to string together phases and couldn't keep out of the bin, but these are games we will win as we approach the level of play that we are capable of."

Earlier in the afternoon, the men's rugby second side played to a 17-17 draw against the St. Louis Royals. 

Lindenwood gets its next test quickly as the team travels to Colorado for two matches in three days.  The Lions will face the University of Colorado February 9 at 6 p.m. in Boulder and then play the Air Force Academy on February 11 at 1 p.m.