Men's rugby remained perfect in the Mid-South Conference with a 17-5 win over Arkansas State Saturday afternoon at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Missouri. In the first home match of the spring semester, the Lions displayed physical and mental dominance in the scrum, and consistent execution in the kicking game to deliver a victory in front of the partisan crowd. 
 
How it Happened: 
In a defensive battle, field territory played a massive role for the outcome of the match. Lindenwood pinned Arkansas State back with deep bombs from inside center Rhys Smith and Shiven Dukhande, and consistently found touch on penalty opportunities. 
 
The Lions struck first when Cian Darling received a perfectly executed offload for a 5-0 lead early in the match.  Dukhande scored shortly after when the ball was sent out wide after numerous punishing runs softened the Red Wolves fringe defense. Smith connected on the tough conversion for a 12-0 advantage. 
 
With the first half ending, Arkansas State found a spark when Nick Hardrict, II received a yellow card for an unsafe tackle. Instead of taking the makeable penalty kick, the Red Wolves elected to play the ball. The Lions defense shut them out and took possession of the ball and held on to end the half, still leading 12-0. 
 
The second half was played similarly to the first half with defense and territory playing huge roles for Lindenwood. 
 
Smith hit a well-executed 50/22, while Dukhande kept Arkansas State behind the 22-meter line with up and under kicks, as well as lingering chip kicks. The Red Wolves did have an opportunity to get their first try after an ill-advised penalty by the Lions allowed a lineout opportunity. Arkansas State took advantage of the field position and used a physical maul to score a try and cut the deficit to 12-5 midway through the second half.
 
The Lions wasted little time in answering the Red Wolves when presented with an opportunity. A five-meter lineout moved the ball quickly to the Lindenwood backs and Brendan Mason threw a long cutout pass to Hardrict, II, who physically dominated the opposition to score in the corner. That made it 17-5 in favor of the Lions with 13-minutes remaining, and that proved to be the final score.   
 
Player/Coach Thoughts: 
Evan Conlon: "I was very confident that our defense would find a way to seal the win. Our defense is a great example of the heart that this team has. Everyone puts in the effort during the week, and it really shows come match time." 
 
Shiven Dukhande: "Pure heart and attitude is how our defense has played. We have allowed only five points in 160 minutes of match time versus Arkansas State. We stay composed and stick to our process. We want it more than anyone on that field and we won't let anyone get in our way. Regardless of any mistakes, we will always get back up and come back harder." 
 
Brendan Mason: "The kicking game today was tough. The wind was blowing in our face the first half, so we had to keep the ball in hand more often than we wanted and couldn't get the distance we were looking for with our kicks. In the second half, Rhys and Shiven were able to put us deep in their half by flipping the field and giving us a good set up." 
 
What's Next:
With the victory, Lindenwood improved to 4-0 in the Mid-South Conference and to 20-1 overall for the season. After a weekend off, the Lions will host back-to-back matches March 19 at the Lindenwood Track Complex in St. Charles, Missouri. Davenport visits first that Saturday at 1 p.m. in an MSC contest, followed by Heart of America Conference runner-up the University of Missouri at 3:30 p.m.  
 
Lindenwood vs. Arkansas State Box Score: 
15' Lindenwood Try Cian Darling 5-0 
25' Lindenwood Try Shiven Dukhande 10-0 
26' Lindenwood Conversion 12-0 
60' Arkansas State Try 12-5 
66' Lindenwood Try Nick Hardrict, II 17-0 
 
Lineup:  
1. Beorn Graham – Gabriel Kettering 53'   
2. Runako Brynard – Kayleb O'Donoghue 61'   
3. Liam Smith - Samuel Buckley 49'   
4. Duncan Krige – Calvin Ihrig 65' 
5. Eduan van Heerden 50' – Joshua Holt 62'  
6. Marnus Spangenberg  
7. Cian Darling - Juan Mota Sanchez 59'  
8. Neal Moylett   
9. Evan Conlon – Alejo Gallego Boniello 71'  
10. Brendan Mason 
11. Tyren Al-Jiboori   
12. Rhys Smith   
13. Stephen Alberts– Jake Jacobson 74' 
14. Nick Hardrict, II   
15. Shiven Dukhande