Men's rugby earned a 63-13 victory over Southern Nazarene University Saturday afternoon at the SNU Rugby Pitch in Bethany, Oklahoma. Billed internally as an "Oklahoma Homecoming," all eight players on the Lindenwood roster from the Sooner State were picked for the match as the team welcomed families, friends, and former coaches. Junior Karsten Rice, from Bixby, Okla., was electric scoring four tries on top of a tireless defensive effort.
 
How it Happened:
The Lions mounted early pressure on the Crimson Storm and jumped out to an early lead. Freshman Max Orefice scored in the third minute, followed by Karsten Rice in the 10^th minute and freshman scrum half Nayan Sirwani Villanueva in the 16^th minute, both benefitting from strong defensive pressure from the Lions. Gavin Richards converted all three tries and with SNU countering with just a penalty kick in the 14^th minute, Lindenwood led 21-3.
 
That advantage continued to expand in the first half as converted tries from Curtis Smith and Chad Tinney added to the ledger, but Southern Nazarene did take advantage of some inaccurate tackling from the Lions just before the break. The Crimson Storm scored in the 34^th minute and slotted a penalty kick from about 40-meters away just three minutes later to cut the deficit to 35-13.
 
Emerging from halftime with a 22-point cushion, several subs started to step on the pitch for Lindenwood. Tinney, who was named captain for the day, was rewarded with his second try after sophomore Jaydyn Bartels rumbled down to the 15-meter line after an overthrown line out.
 
Louis Woods and Emmett Bock brought a strong presence off the bench with physical carries and scrums while still playing intelligent and structured rugby instead of throwing meaningless passes.
 
The final try, which was scored by Rice, came after a slick pass from freshman Ryan Keenan and that led to a big celebration from all of the local supporters and a 63-13 win for the Lions.
 
Coach Quote:
Attack Coach Wayden Mosinkie: "It was a big team win, but it was especially pleasing seeing the subs come on and maintain the standard and structure we work so hard on in training. We are starting to see the rewards of hard days at training and the work of our veterans and coaching to teach the Lindenwood way."
 
Player Quote:
Junior Wing Karsten Rice: "I am so happy with how all the boys played today. Everyone came out hitting hard and moving fast. The opportunity to get back home and play with all my friends in front of my family is something I'll remember forever in my career as a Lion. Thanks to the coaches and everyone involved for making a great weekend. Go Lions!"

What's Next:
After a weekend off, men's rugby will play two matches on October 26. The Lions will host the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy at 9:30 a.m. at the Lindenwood Track Complex, then will begin play in the Midwest Rugby Conference (MRC) at McKendree University. The opening kickoff for the nightcap is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Leemon Field in Lebanon, Illinois.

Scoring Summary:
3' Lindenwood Try Maximus Orefice 5-0
3' Lindenwood Conversion Gavin Richards 7-0
10' Lindenwood Try Karsten Rice 12-0
10' Lindenwood Conversion Gavin Richards 14-0
14' Southern Nazarene Penalty 14-3
16' Lindenwood Try Nayan Sirwani Villanueva 19-3
16' Lindenwood Conversion Gavin Richards 21-3
19' Lindenwood Try Curtis Smith 26-3
19' Lindenwood Conversion Gavin Richards 28-3
29' Lindenwood Try Chad Tinney 33-3
29' Lindenwood Conversion Gavin Richards 35-3
34' Southern Nazarene Try 35-8
34' Southern Nazarene Conversion 37-10
37' Southern Nazarene Penalty 37-13
49' Lindenwood Try Chad Tinney 42-13
49' Lindenwood Conversion Gavin Richards 44-13
59' Lindenwood Try Karsten Rice 49-13
59' Lindenwood Conversion Ryan Keenan 51-13
65' Lindenwood Yellow Card Benjamin Crosby
70' Lindenwood Try Karsten Rice 56-13
70' Lindenwood Conversion Ryan Keenan 58-13
73' Lindenwood Try Karsten Rice 63-13
 
Lindenwood Lineup: 

1. Chad Tinney*
2. Jaydyn Bartels*
3. Carter Breneman*
4. Neil Milczarek
5. Curtis Smith*
6. Jacob Kleist
7. Maximus Orefice
8. Zach McCartney
9. Nayan Sirwani Villanueva
10. Gavin Richards
11. Hassan Lin
12. Aidan Kalmar*
13. Nate Gillis
14. Karsten Rice*
15. JD Martin*
16. Easton Yancey
17. Drew Johnson
18. Emmett Bock
19. Caden Howe
20. Louis Woods
21. Charlie Kirpatrick
22. Benjamin Crosby
23. Jaden Munoz*
24. Ryan Keenan