Men's rugby earned its second win of the season with a 35-5 victory over Southern Nazarene University Saturday afternoon at the Lindenwood Track Complex in St. Charles, Missouri. Curtis Smith and Cole Scharffenorth each scored two tries with Scharffenorth adding another 10 points to the ledger with conversions.

How it Happened:
The Lions came out of the gate quickly, taking just a minute to push down the pitch and set up Smith for a powerful run into the try zone. Scharffenorth booted the conversion for a 7-0 Lindenwood lead.
 
The Lions scored again just 11 minutes later when John Kenaga cut to the edge and outraced the Crimson Storm wing for a long 50-meter try. Another Scharffenorth conversion increased the Lindenwood advantage to 14-0.  
 
Smith scored his second try of the match when he took a hard crashing ball at the goal line, punished a would-be tackler, and landed in the zone. The hard run was followed by a Scharffenorth conversion for a 21-0 lead in the 22^nd minute.  
 
After several possessions with no points from either side, the Lions struck as the first half clock expired. Scharffenorth picked up a loose ball and attacked the defense himself. After breaking several tackles, he found a small gap in the defense and snuck through for the score. His ensuing conversion made it 28-0 Lindenwood at the break.  
 
The Lions added points early in the second half when Guillermo Bilbao took advantage of a quick tap by Scharffenorth and caught the defense moving slowly in transition. One quick step and Bilbao went over for the try. With the conversion, Lindenwood led 35-0 in the 47^th minute.  
 
Despite facing a large deficit, Southern Nazarene continued to show great fight. With 17 minutes remaining, the Crimson Storm had a scrum 25-meters out and caught the Lions in a weakside scrum move. After a race down the sideline, the Southern Nazarene wing scored in the corner. The conversion was missed, making it 35-5 Lindenwood, which was how it remained until the final whistle. 
 
What's Next? 
After an inter-squad scrimmage at home on September 30, the Lions will hit the road for the first time this season as they travel across the state to face the Kansas City Blues October 7. The opening kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. that Saturday afternoon at the KC Soccer Training Complex in Kansas City, Missouri.  
 
Scoring Summary:
1' Lindenwood Try Curtis Smith (5-0 LU) 
2' Lindenwood Conversion Cole Scharffenorth (7-0 LU) 
11' Lindenwood Try Cole Scharffenorth (12-0 LU)
12' Lindenwood Conversion Cole Scharffenorth (14-0 LU)
21' Lindenwood Try Curtis Smith (19-0 LU)
22' Lindenwood Conversion Cole Scharffenorth (21-0 LU) 
40' Lindenwood Try Cole Scharffenorth (26-0 LU)
40' Lindenwood Conversion Cole Scharffenorth (28-0 LU)
46' Lindenwood Try Guillermo Bilbao (33-0 LU)
47' Lindenwood Conversion Cole Scharffenorth (35-0 LU) 
63' Southern Nazarene Try (35-5 LU)
 
Lineup:

1. Carter Breneman  
2. Mark Barbour (Captain)  
3. Emmett Bock 
4. Caden Howe 
5. Curtis Smith 
6. Jacob Kleist  
7. Jack Cahill  
8. Guillermo Bilbao 
9. Gage Poland 
10. Cole Scharffenorth  
11. Joseph Davies  
12. William Bentley  
13. Aiden Kalmar  
14. John Kenaga  
15. Marcus Robinson 
16. Ivan Ingram 
17. Victor Gomez Ballester 
18. Brody Acosta 
19. Nicholas Orefice 
20. Mason Gracian 
21. Gavin Richards 
22. Jaydyn Bartels
23. Thomas Russell 
24. Gavin Fitzough