Men's rugby withstood a game-ready Army squad 26-7 Saturday afternoon at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Missouri. 
 
The Black Knights tested the Lindenwood pack with their defense and scrums, but the Lions held firm.  Starting props Alec McDonnell and Joe Stewart had their toughest day in the scrum all season, earning some early penalties. 
 
Captain and number eight Wesley White demonstrated some clinical running to score two tries in the first half.  He also was a force on defense as well. 
 
Lindenwood continued to work for great lineout possession through Marnus Spangenberg, Emmanuel Albert, and Michael de Waal and was able to drive inside Army territory.  Flanker Colten Hernandez converted that possession into a third try for the Lions just before halftime. Fullback Evan Williams booted all three conversions in the first half for a 21-0 halftime lead. 

The Black Knights showed great pride in their defense in the second half as they kept the ball tight to the breakdowns.  They found some gaps in the Lindenwood defense to score a well-earned try early in the frame.  With the conversion, the Lions lead was cut to 21-7.  The visitors would knock again, but tough defense led by Albert kept the Black Knights out of the try zone.
 
Despite the score from Army and heightened physical play in general, Lindenwood continued to control the territory statistics through flyhalf Andreas Livadaras. The lineouts kept ticking and White was able to finish off his hat trick with about ten minutes left on the clock.

With the victory, the Lions improved to 15-3 overall and to 3-2 in conference play.  They host Arkansas in another conference battle March 9 at Hunter Stadium with the opening kickoff set for 4 p.m.  The second sides for each squad will play at 2 p.m. the same day at the Lindenwood Track.

Earlier in the weekend on Friday night, the Lions second XV hosted the Army second side and earned a 17-7 victory.  Both teams struggled to string phases together early in the match, but they were strong at scrum time, however, turnovers highlighted the first 15 minutes. 
 
An unfortunate injury to center Dylan Ramirez forced an early entry for reserve Dale Sullivan, but his game management and calmness under pressure changed the match for the Lindenwood.  The Lions marched down the field and put the weight of the game on the Army forwards.  Second row players Liam Smith and Jonah Dietenberger kept that pressure coming through strong carries and dominant tackles and hooker Jason Schnetler was able to drive over for the first try of the match. Sullivan converted and the Lions led 7-0. 
 
At halftime, the Lindenwood leaders delivered a message to slow the attack and run through the phases.  Continued positive play from forwards Richard Humphrey and Josh Bailey helped the Lions drive into the Army end of the field again. Sullivan slotted a penalty kick to put the home side up 10-0.
 
The Black Knights continued to fight and they eventually found some space on the outside and delivered some big hits.  A fantastic defensive effort for the Lions pushed Army back from the Lindenwood try line more than once.  After a series of front foot play from the forwards, Humphrey found a gap and ran through and over defenders to score.  Sullivan converted again and the Lions increased their advantage. 
 
As time in the second half ticked down, it appeared that the home team relaxed a bit and started to play a little loose with the ball.  The effort from Army did not wane and the Black Knights were able to take advantage of some mental lapses and pierce a try through the middle of the pitch.  The ensuing conversion cut the margin to 17-7, which proved to be the final score.