Men's rugby completed its fall campaign with a 69-11 win over Adrian College Saturday night at Docking Stadium in Adrian, Michigan. In doing so, the Lions improved to 4-0 in the Midwest Rugby Conference (MRC) and to 13-1 overall.
How it Happened:
With some fresh faces in the lineup, Lindenwood didn't get the attacking start that was hoped, but put forth great effort on defense, determined to make it a grueling 80 minutes for the Bulldogs. With the Lions holding strong through multiple phases, Adrian did manage to piece together some promising attacks, finally settling for a penalty kick to take a 3-0 lead in the ninth minute.
With a strategic kickoff from Lindenwood down the middle, the Bulldogs found themselves pinned deep in their half of the pitch, giving the Lions a chance to dictate play, but after a relieving in-field kick, Adrian turned things around and pressed forward. Lindenwood once trusted the system and held firm. A few grinding phases later, realizing that they couldn't break through any further, the Bulldogs opted for another penalty kick to increase their margin to 6-0 in the 13
th minute.
From there, momentum started to switch towards the Lions. Putting together some strong phases on attack, captain
Declan Ries spotted
Karsten Rice out wide and delivered a perfectly weighted pass to set him free. Rice charged forward driving the ball to within 10-meters of the try line. Lindenwood capitalized on the position with multiple phases. And they won a scrum set five meters out right in the middle. A well-executed launch gave the backline a chance to show off their slick skills and Ries connected with
Brendan Mason in space to put the first try on the board to pull the Lions within one at 6-5 in the 19
th minute.
Adrian kicked off for the restart and caught a lucky bounce that allowed a player to grab the ball and quickly score to make it 11-5, but Lindenwood stayed composed and delivered a deep, well-weighted kick on the restart giving Rice a chance to apply intense pressure. The Bulldogs managed an exit, but the Lions claimed a lineout on the halfway line. After Lindenwood won it,
Jack McAllister quickly fed Ries who spotted
Jaryd de Jager who then sliced through the defense, beating two defenders with blistering speed to once again pull the Lions to within one at 11-10 in the 23
rd minute.
Adrian kicked off but it landed in touch, giving Lindenwood a chance to launch another attack, but the scrum did not go as planned and the Lions were back on defense. With fierce determination, Lindenwood quickly turned the ball back over and set up the first phase. The Bulldogs were slow to transition, and McAllister spotted a gap. He darted past his defender to score and give the Lions their first lead.
Cole Scharffenorth slotted the conversion for a 17-11 advantage in the 28
th minute.
Moments later, the Lions are dominating in the offensive zone. After forcing a turnover, they win a penalty, but soon give one back. Adrian tried to exit but struggled under the Lindenwood pressure. Scharffenorth caught their infield kick and surged forward, setting up a strong platform for the Lions to attack. A few plays later, they won a lineout 10 meters from their try line and set up a powerful maul. After two fierce phases,
Eduan van Heerden powered through to push the lead to 22-11 in the 33
rd minute.
With halftime approaching, the Bulldogs threw everything they had at Lindenwood, but the defense remained rock-solid. After winning a crucial penalty deep in Lions territory,
Brendan Mason booted a kick that flips the field. With a lineout win, Lindenwood is off to the races. Ries set up the first phase which led to a string of sharp attacks. With just 10 meters to go, Adrian scrambled to keep up with the Lions speed. Scharffenorth spotted another gap and charged through for his first try of the season, and with a successful conversion, he extended the lead to 29-11 heading into the break.
Emerging from halftime, both squads were re-energized. The Bulldogs won the ball off the kickoff and started putting some attacking moves together, but the Lindenwood defense remained solid, shutting down every attempt to break the line. Adrian received a penalty that gave Mason the chance to kick the Lions into offensive territory. They set up a promising launch, but a loose pass halted the drive. Just two minutes later, the Bulldogs overthrow a lineout just five meters from their line and Lindenwood pounces on the opportunity. Two quick phases later,
Zack McCartney spotted a gap and dove into the zone to increase the margin to 34-11 in the 46
th minute.
Just four minutes later after Adrian turned the ball over, Ries fired a long pass to Scharffenorth, who left his defender behind with a quick step and slick footwork. With a quick step and slick footwork, he left his defender behind and crossed the line to score. After adding the conversion, the Lions led 41-11 in the 50
th minute.
As the match continued, Lindenwood continued to control play and increase its margin. As the clock ticked towards the 55
th minute, the Lions won a lineout just 20 meters from Bulldogs try line which set the stage for the next score. Ries set up the foundation for a string of several powerful phases. With the ball just four meters away, the backline called for the ball and launched a brilliant attack. In a slick move, Ries executed a behind-the-back pass to Rice, who dove over for the try. Scharffenorth nailed the conversion, boosting the lead to 48-11.
Several subs entered the match in the next few minutes and with those fresh legs, Lindenwood continued to expand its lead. After fending off several intense phases from Adrian, van Heerden possesses the ball and quickly tips it to
Kobe Millar. Millar blazes down the field for his first try of the season and with the Scharffenorth conversion, the Lions went ahead 55-11 in the 63
rd minute.
As more substitutions are made, sophomore Martin Mdingi makes his debut and gets an early touch on the ball, carrying it with confidence to set the foundation for Lindenwood. The Bulldogs won a scrum in Lions territory, but Lindenwood quickly wins the next scrum and regains possession. Ries lofts a beautiful ball through Adrian defense. Rice chases down the kick sets up a drive. A few phases later,
Guillermo Bilbao powered through to score. With another Scharffenorth conversion, the lead increased to 62-11 in the 70
th minute.
With only a few minutes remaining, Adrian launched a relieving kick, but Brendan Maso quickly collected it and with some dazzling kicking skills, delivered a short chip to Rice who charged forward with strength. With the backline firing on all cylinders, a precise pass was tossed wide to
Dimitri Diakogiannis. He drove forward for a tough 10 meters before popping the ball off to Ries, who dotted down in the 75
th minute. Scharffenorth delivered the final conversion for the 69-11 victory.
Coach Quote:
Assistant Forwards Coach Justin Ludwig: "I really like how many of the little things we worked on all semester were seen throughout the game. The forwards were dominant in the scrums and anytime there was a line break from the back we always had multiple guys coming in support. On top of that every guy one through 23 put shots in and "took attackers for a ride" on defense. This game was fun to watch, and I was very proud of how well we capped off this part of our season. I'm looking forward to building upon this when we get back together after the holiday break."
Player Quote:
Junior Jaryd de Jager: "I thought the boys really communicated well on defense. We knew going into the game that Adrian College was the most physical team in the conference, and I thought we did well to lay it all out on the field and show them how physical Lindenwood rugby is.
What's Next:
With the fall campaign completed, men's rugby is idle for a while but will return to the pitch for an exhibition game against the Chicago Hounds, a powerhouse in Major League Rugby (MLR) on January 25, 2025. The opening kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Seat Geek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, outside of Chicago.
Scoring Summary:
9' Adrian College Penalty kick 3-0
13' Adrian College Penalty kick 6-0
19' Lindenwood try
Brendan Mason 6-5
21' Adrian College try 11-5
23' Lindenwood try
Jaryd de Jager 11-10
27' Lindenwood try
Jack McAllister 11-15
28' Lindenwood Conversion
Cole Scharffenorth 11-17
33' Lindenwood try
Eduan van Heerden 11-22
39' Lindenwood try
Cole Scharffenorth 11-27
40' Lindenwood conversion
Cole Scharffenorth 11-29
46'Lindenwood try
Zack McCartney 11-34
49'Lindenwood try
Cole Scharffenorth 11-39
50'Lindenwood Conversion
Cole Scharffenorth 11-41
55'Lindenwood try
Karsten Rice 11-46
56'Lindenwood conversion
Cole Scharffenorth 11-48
62'Lindenwood try
Kobe Millar 11-53
63'Lindenwood Conversion
Cole Scharffenorth 11-55
69'Lindenwood try
Guillermo Bilbao 11-60
70'Lindenwood Conversion
Cole Scharffenorth 11-62
75'Lindenwood try
Declan Ries 11-65
76'Lindenwood conversion Scharffenorth 11-69
