Men's rugby was ousted in the D1A Playoff quarterfinals 25-10 Saturday afternoon at Lupo Family Field in Marietta, Georgia. Christopher Wallace scored the only try for the Lions while Byron Forword added five points with the kicking game.
 
How it Happened:
Lindenwood started quickly in the match, immediately forcing a turnover deep in the Running Eagles end of the pitch. The Lions then perfectly executed a five-meter lineout and started their maul. After showing great patience, Wallace crossed into the zone in the fifth minute. Forword booted the conversion to give Lindenwood an early 7-0 lead, but Life responded just three minutes later, driving a maul over the line. With the ensuing conversion, it was tied 7-7.
 
The Running Eagles took their first lead at the 17-minute mark when they connected on a penalty kick, but Forword slotted a long-distance penalty kick of his own to answer and tie the game again at 10-10 with 13 minutes remaining in the opening half.
 
It looked like Life would take a lead into the break when they drove to within five meters of the zone with under five minutes left, but a strong defensive scrum and great goal line defense from the Lions repelled the effort and kept things even at halftime.
 
After an evenly played first 40-minutes, Life immediately pressured Lindenwood right from the opening kickoff of the second half and forced a penalty deep in Lions territory. The penalty kick was good, giving the Running Eagles a 13-10 advantage in the 42^nd minute. They would expand on that lead for the rest of the match, adding their second try in the 58^th minute to go ahead 20-10 after the conversion.
 
With time running down and Lindenwood getting desperate to mount a comeback, Life capitalized on some erratic play. A long run put pressure on the Lions defense, which eventually yielded a game-clinching try with seven minutes left.
 
Player Quotes:
Duncan Krige: "Sometimes things don't always go the way we want. These are lessons you get to learn in this sport and can take with you and apply in the real world. I love this team and I am proud of the journey that we went on."
 
Chad Tinney: "The relationships built on this team will last longer than the feeling of this match. I am so happy that I got to play this game with my brothers, and I am looking forward to continuing the relationships we built during our time together."
 
What's Next?
With 15's competition completed, men's rugby will focus on the CRAA Sevens Championships June 1-2 in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
 
Scoring Summary:
5' Lindenwood Try Christopher Wallace 5-0
5' Lindenwood Conversion Byron Forword 7-0
8' Life Try 7-5
9' Life Conversion 7-7
17' Life Penalty Kick 7-10
27' Lindenwood Penalty Kick Byron Forword 10-10
42' Life Penalty Kick 10-13
58' Life Try 10-18
59' Life Conversion 10-20
73' Life Try 10-25
 
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. Lautaro Soto Ansay
14. Bautista Nasta
15. Jaryd de Jager
16. Mark Barbour
17. Asher Webb
18. Johannes Greyling
19. Le'Donn Mathis
20. Neil Milczarek
21. Brendan Mason
22. Jack McAllister
23. Kobe Millar