October 3, 2016
St. Joseph’s Men’s Rugby Win Double vs Scranton and Lock Haven
Photo: St. Joseph’s Hawks Rugby – of Steven Bradley v Scranton
St. Joseph’s Men’s Rugby Release: Dan Yarusso
It was a double-header road trip weekend for the Hawks. The Hawks sent one team to the University of Scranton for a non conference match and another team to Lock Haven University for a divisional Keystone match. Both Hawk teams played well and earned the victory in their respective match.
In Scranton, the Hawks did a fantastic job in the first 10 minutes of play. However, the hosts were able to settle down and keep the Hawks pinned in their own half. A few missed tackles and some physical running by Scranton in the first half saw them jump out to 20-0 lead by halftime. The Hawks must have been re-inspired at halftime because they came roaring back in the second half. To get the scoring started, center Dan Coyle (’18) scored from about 15M out, barreling through some defenders. The Hawks would also get scores from Philip Leonetti (’20), Liam McCauley (’20), Jared Martinez (’19), and Sam Berman (’19). Berman had a fantastic effort on his score and also played with a high intensity throughout the match. At the final whistle, the Hawks had overcome the halftime deficit to win 31-20.
At Lock Haven, after a short delay in kickoff, the Hawks got off to a fast start with Greg McTiernan (’17) dotting down his first of three scores in the game. Feeding off some penalties by Lock Haven, the Hawks were able to score in close with a try from Ed Flannery (’18) and then another try from Connor McAuliffe (’19). McAuliffe would have two scores in the game. The forwards would set up scrum half Pat Ryan’s (’18) score as the pack stole possession at the scrum and Ryan picked the ball and darted in for the score. Michael “Cheese” Weber (’17) and Mike Hoffman (’19) would also score in the first half. In the second half, the Hawks continued to keep up their attacking pace. Forwards Jack Hicklin (’18), Tristin Guevara (’19), and Brendan Shields (’18) would each score for the Hawks. Jimmy Wolfer (’17) and Noah Niumataiwalu (’20) each had a score in the half, both darting down the sideline and diving in to the try zone at the corner. With the win, the Hawks improve to 2-0 in Keystone Conference divisional play and have earned a first round home playoff game.
Up next for the Hawks is a big test against the University of Pittsburgh. Both teams are 2-0 and the West division title is on the line. The match will be played at Founders Field at Pitt on 10/8/16. Kickoff is scheduled for 11AM.
