Men's rugby topped the Lindenwood – Belleville squad 10-3 in a developmental match Thursday night at Jaycee Park in Belleville, Illinois, but the contest took on more meaning than just a final score.
Before the game began, both teams decided to honor their friend and teammate
Juan Pablo Aguirre and his mother by wearing pink socks. Aguirre first played for the Lynx before transferring to the Lions in 2017 and gained a reputation at both campuses as an extremely talented, hard-working and unassuming teammate. His mom had been battling an illness and unfortunately passed away last week. The two teams played a physical match in honor of her.
Rain and plenty of mud made it tough for the playmakers to move the ball into space, but early in the contest, number eight
Skyler Mitchell picked the ball from the base of a scrum for the Lions and beat multiple defenders on a 50-meter scamper to the try zone.
Later in the half, penalties allowed the Lynx to move into scoring position where they converted a penalty kick. That proved to be the only scoring in the first 40-minutes and the game went to break with the Lions leading 5-3.
The second half continued to be sloppy, which led to some opportunities for the forwards.
William Whiteside and
JT Perez Acle stood out for the Lions on defense and attack, but the scoreboard did not change much. Lions fullback
Josh Paulsen was able to wiggle through for a second try to make it 10-3 and that proved to be the extent of the offense from both sides.
After the match, the two teams joined arms midfield for a moment of silence and then head coaches
Josh Macy and Joe Lippert both shared some positive words about Aguirre.
The Lions face the University Wisconsin in the USA Rugby D1A Playoffs round of 16 on April 13 in Madison, Wisconsin. The Badgers enter as the No. 3 seed in the East while Lindenwood is the No. 6 seed. The opening kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. that Saturday at the Wisconsin Rugby Club Sports Complex. The Lions second XV will also host Memphis the same day with the match beginning at 2 p.m. at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Missouri.
