Men's rugby earned a 37-22 win over No. 4 ranked Central Washington in a non-conference match-up Tuesday afternoon at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg, Washington. David Cathcart scored three tries for the Lions while Jeremy Zwick scored two.
 
How it Happened:
The Wildcats took a 5-0 lead just five minutes into the game after they gathered a grubber kick that bounced off the corner flag and landed in touch, but Lindenwood responded quickly by putting several phases together until Alejandro Martinez Tapia broke through the line and raced 30 meters for a score to even the match.
 
Central Washington committed a penalty deep in the Lions offensive zone at the 12-minute mark and Byron Forword converted the kick to give Lindenwood an 8-5 lead, but it didn't last long. The Wildcats evened the score with their own penalty kick eight minutes later and then scored a converted try for a 15-8 advantage with 10-minutes remaining in the half.
 
With just two minutes left, Cathcart broke loose on the end and cut back in on the CWU defense. A broken tackle and a 20-meter sprint sent him into the try zone. With the ensuing conversion from Forword, the match was knotted 15-15 at the break.
 
The two squads traded possessions multiple times in the first 20 minutes of the second half, but neither team put any points on the board until Zwick scored the first of his two tries for the Lions after moving from scrumhalf to wing. After a skip pass was sent wide to him on the edge, he put a move on the opposition before barreling over the line for five-points. Forword slotted the conversion for a 22-15 Lindenwood lead, but the Wildcats answered just two minutes later by scoring a try out wide on the ensuing scrum.
 
With 13 minutes left to play and the match still tied at 22, the Lions finally started taking control when Zwick touched down for his second of the day. After finding some space again on the edge, some quick footwork and a hard run carried him over the line to give Lindenwood a 27-22 lead.
 
With time winding down, Calvin Ihrig broke loose on the edge and raced downfield. A perfectly timed pass put Cathcart through the defense for his second score of the match in the 75^th minute. It was Cathcart again for the final try of the game to seal the match with one minute remaining. After the ball was spun to him on the edge, he booted a grubber kick through the defense, then outpaced the defenders to gather the kick in the try zone for the 37-22 victory.  
 
 
Player Quote:
 
Calvin Ihrig: "It felt so good to get near the end of the match and find a way to get the job done. The boys were up for it today and it showed at the end when we needed it most. We have some things to clean up before the playoffs, but we feel we still have our best rugby in front of us."
 
What's Next?
The Lions return home for back-to-back matches in the Midwest Rugby Conference (MRC) March 22 and 23, hosting McKendree University Friday night and Adrian College Saturday night. Both opening kickoff are scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
Scoring Summary:
5' Central Washington Try 0-5
7' Lindenwood Try Alejandro Martinez Tapia 5-5
12' Lindenwood Penalty Kick Byron Forword 8-5
20' Central Washington Penalty Kick 8-8
29' Central Washington Try 8-13
30' Central Washington Conversion 8-15
38' Lindenwood Try David Cathcart 13-15
38' Lindenwood Conversion Byron Forword 15-15
61' Lindenwood Try Jeremy Zwick 20-15
61' Lindenwood Conversion Byron Forword 22-15
63' Central Washington Try 22-20
64' Central Washington Conversion 22-22
67' Lindenwood Try Jeremy Zwick 27-22
75' Lindenwood David Cathcart 32-22
79' Lindenwood David Cathcart 37-22
 
Lineup:

1. Chad Tinney
2. Christopher Wallace
3. Connor Devos
4. Alejandro Martinez Tapia
5. David Scanlon
6. Duncan Krige
7. Calvin Ihrig
8. Eduan van Heerden
9. Jeremy Zwick
10. Byron Forword
11. David Cathcart
12. Declan Ries
13. Stephin Alberts
14. Bautista Nasta
15. Jaryd de Jager
16. Mark Barbour
17. Asher Webb
18. Johannes Greyling
19. Le'Donn Mathis
20. Neil Milczarek
21. William Bentley
22. Jack McAllister
23. Emanuele Tani