Men's rugby survived a furious comeback to defeat Davenport University 24-20 on the road Saturday evening at Founders Field in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Brendan Mason keyed the Lindenwood attack with six points on conversions and another three on a penalty kick.  
 
How it Happened: 
The first 20 minutes of the match was scoreless until the Lions moved the ball to the try line and then continually punished the Panther defense until Jeremy Zwick found a small opening and slipped his way over for the try. Mason was good on the conversion from a tough angle and Lindenwood had a 7-0 lead.  
 
Davenport earned a five-meter lineout 11 minutes later and with the Lions having a yellow card, the Panthers attempted to capitalize with a five-meter maul. The large pack executed the maneuver and crossed over for the score. With the ensuing conversion, the game was tied at seven.  
 
As the first half was ending, Lindenwood had possession at midfield and started stringing several phases together. After swinging the ball out wide, the attacking backline was quick to work it to Dimitri Diakogiannis, who sprinted down the sideline and scored in the corner. Another tricky conversion from Mason made it 14-7 Lions.
 
About 10-minutes into the second half, a no-wrap tackle by Davenport gave Lindenwood a penalty 40-meters out. Mason calmly lined the ball up and delivered another three points to extend the lead to 17-7. 
 
From that point, the Panthers mounted a furious comeback, scoring two unconverted tries to tie the match at 17-17. Then, Davenport was awarded a penalty kick in front of the posts and when it was slotted, the Panthers led 20-17 with less than 10 minutes remaining.
 
Now trailing for the first time in the game, the Lions needed to execute a comeback of their own. With a quick penalty tap by Eduan van Heerden, they went on attack. After a few quick phases, captain Duncan Krige forced his way over the line to retake the lead. As he did all day, Mason connected on the important conversion and Lindenwood had a 24-20 advantage. 
 
The Lions had to make one final defensive stand to preserve the victory, which they did. With the win, they took the lead in the Midwest Rugby Conference (MRC) with a 3-0 record.  
 
What's Next? 
Lindenwood hosts Brigham Young University (BYU) in an out of conference match November 10. The opening kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday afternoon at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Missouri.  
 
Scoring Summary: 
20' Lindenwood Try Jeremy Zwick 5-0 
21 Lindenwood Conversion Brendan Mason 7-0 
31' Davenport Try 5-0 
31' Davenport Conversion 
39' Lindenwood Try Dimitri Diakogiannis 12-7 
39' Lindenwood Conversion Brendan Mason 14-7 
50' Lindenwood Penalty Kick Brendan Mason 17-7 
54' Davenport Try 17-12 
55' Davenport Conversion 17-14 
63' Davenport Penalty Kick 17-17 
70' Davenport Penalty Kick 17-20 
72' Lindenwood Try Duncan Krige 22-20 
73' Lindenwood Conversion Brendan Mason 24-0 
 
Lineup:

1. Chad Tinney 
2. Christopher Wallace 
3. Connor Devos 
4. Eduan van Heerden 
5. Le'Donn Mathis 
6. Alejandro Martinez Tapia 
7. Calvin Ihrig 
8. Duncan Krige 
9. Jeremy Zwick 
10. Cole Scharffenorth 
11. Kobe Millar 
12. Declan Ries 
13. Lautaro Soto Ansay 
14. Dimitri Diakogiannis 
15. Brendan Mason 
16. Xavier Herbert 
17. Asher Webb 
18. Hailama Anakalea 
19. Neil Milczarek 
20. Joaquin Gonzalez Fontan 
21. Delfino Salinas 
22. Will Bentley 
23. Byron Forword