Men's rugby battled an up-and-coming Marian (Ind.) squad and came away with a 47-16 victory Friday night at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Missouri.   
 
The match was the first time this season that the Lions were able to play at Hunter and the first time that the roster was opened to more than just the U20 players, so several saw their first action on the pitch.   
 
Lindenwood started quickly with a try dotted down in the corner by Jake Jacobson in the first 30-seconds.  The wing found some space on the edge following a scrum in Knights territory and scampered down the sideline.   
 
Later in the half, wing Preston Hammerschmidt not only used his running ability to score a try, but his boot as well when he busted through the defensive line and executed a perfect chip kick over a closing defender from the 30-meter line.  With a great bounce, the ball settled in the back of the try zone just long enough for Hammerschmidt to chase his kick and touch the ball down in phenomenal fashion. 
 
With additional tries from Shiven Dukhande and Runako Brynard, plus a score from Marian, the Lions led 22-5 at halftime.   
 
During the break, Assistant Coach Aaron Browne pulled the forwards together and challenged them to bring an increased physicality in the second half. He spoke with Brynard and challenged him specifically.  "It's time to go off. You have had the first half of feeling things out, now you bring it."  
 
Brynard and the rest of the squad responded to the challenge and increased their physical efforts.  Not only did Lindenwood punish Marian with hard running, but the forward pack repeatedly blew up the scrums and moved the opposing attack backwards. 
 
Brynard had these observations about the match.

"I thought physically we manned up quite well and did not give them much forward momentum," he said. 
 
With a powerful try from newcomer Siaosi Nauer and another highlight reel try from Hammerschmidt in the corner, the Lions stretched their lead to 33-11 in the second half. 
 
With time starting to fade, reserve fly-half Lochlan Charley entered the game and had a great impact, coming in with confidence and control of the attack.  That led to a try from him that was set up by great offloads from Liam Campbell-Drozd and Nauer. 
 
In the waning moments of the match, Brynard found the try zone once more and the Knights scored at the whistle for the final margin.   
 
Match day captain William Whiteside was pleased with the effort and ability of all the new players. 
 
"It was definitely an adjustment at first, but the guys that put on the jersey for the first time stuck to their fundamentals, ran our system to the best of their abilities, and it made for a very special night all around," he said. 
 
Men's rugby travels to the other side of the state to face the Kansas City Blues October 30.  The opening kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon at the Swope Park Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri.  The Lions then host Iowa Central for two matches on November 6.  The second XV's square off at 1 p.m. at the Lindenwood Track Complex and the first XV's face each other at 5 p.m. at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Missouri.