Men's rugby defeated Marian University (Ind.) 65-10 on Saturday in Indianapolis, Indiana. Eight different Lions scored tries in the match.
How it Happened:
Lindenwood scored in the opening moments when the defense created a quick turnover. The ball was moved wide into the hands of
Ryan Denvir who crossed the line for an unconverted try. Preston Hammershmidt then found the edge and evaded a tackle to score another try in the corner. This time,
William Groves connected on the long conversion for a 12-0 Lions lead.
Lindenwood increased its advantage when a quick transition ball ended up in the hands of Groves. He tossed a long pass to Denvir who used a well-timed offload to
Jeremy Zwick to finish the play. With another Groves conversion, it was 19-0. After
John Rink scored another try in the corner, Hammerschmidt earned his second try of the day after the Lions forward pack overpowered the Knights in the scrum. Lindenwood stole the ball and with a quick pass to the wing, the race was on ending with a score in the corner and a 29-0 Lions advantage.
Stephin Alberts continued the first half scoring after another scrum was won by the Lindenwood pack. Juaquin Gonzalez Fontan quickly delivered a pop pass to Zwick who hit a charging Denvir at the gain line. Alberts was in great support and put the finishing touches on the play. Groves booted the conversion to give the Lions a 36-0 lead at the break.
Four minutes into the second half, Indiana native
Asher Webb had the ball 20 meters from the try line. Right before contact, the elusive prop tipped a pass to
Le'Donn Mathis who sprinted the distance.
Stephin Alberts slotted the conversion for a 43-0 advantage.
The Knights were finally rewarded for their efforts at the 55-minute mark as they scored to break the shutout, but Lindenwood answered back seven minutes later when
Tyren Al-Jiboori found space out wide and took a cutout pass from Rink to extend the Lions lead to 48-5.
After a Zwick try added to the scoreboard, Rink gathered a Groves grubber kick 10 meters from the zone and dotted down to stretch the advantage to 60-5. Each team scored once more in the final five minutes for the final margin.
Other Matches:
Lindenwood also faced the Marian 2
nd XV and came out on top 64-0. The match was a physical battle where the Lions continually challenged the Knights.
Luke Schaefer and
Mathis Corbel were dominant ball carriers while
Guillermo Bilbao was an anchor on the defensive line.
What's Next:
Men's rugby hosts its first Hunter Stadium match of the season when the Lions welcome McKendree University November 4. The opening kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday night in St. Charles, Missouri.
Starting Lineup:
- Asher Webb
- Christopher Wallace – 68' Giovanni Agostini
- Hailama Anakalea - 57' Connor Devos
- Neil Milczarek - 63' Vladislav Sotnikov
- Le'Donn Mathis – 58'- Johannes Greyling
- Juan Mota Sanchez – 54' Cian Darling
- Terrell Hopson
- Joaquin Gonzalez Fontan
- Jeremy Zwick
- William Groves
- Ryan Denvir – 49' Delfino Salinas
- John Rink
- Tyren Al-Jiboori – 56' Jonah Del Rosario
- Preston Hammerschmidt
- Stephin Alberts – 58' Xavier Herbert
Scoring Summary:
1' Lindenwood Try
Ryan Denvir 5-0
7' Lindenwood Try
Preston Hammerschmidt 10-0
7' Lindenwood Conversion
William Groves 12-0
17' Lindenwood Try
Jeremy Zwick 17-0
18' Lindenwood Conversion
William Groves 19-0
21' Lindenwood Try
John Rink 24-0
32' Lindenwood Try
Preston Hammerschmidt 29-0
36' Lindenwood Try
Stephin Alberts 34-0
37' Lindenwood Conversion
William Groves 36-0
44' Lindenwood Try
Le'Donn Mathis 41-0
45' Lindenwood Conversion
Stephin Alberts 43-0
55' Marian Try 43-5
62' Lindenwood Try
Tyren Al-Jiboori 48-5
66' Lindenwood Try
Jeremy Zwick 53-5
73' Lindenwood Try
John Rink 58-5
74' Lindenwood Conversion
Jonah Del Rosario 60-5
77' Marian Try 60-10
80' Lindenwood Try
Cian Darling 65-10
