Lindenwood University delivered a commanding performance this past Saturday at Hunter Stadium, overpowering 13th-ranked Penn State University in their first home match of the season and giving Men's Rugby Head Coach
Josh Macy the 500th victory of his career. The Lions burst out of the blocks with intensity and precision, scoring five quick tries to establish early control of the contest. Penn State managed to respond with a try before halftime, but Lindenwood's attacking rhythm and tactical adjustments kept the momentum firmly in their favor. After weathering early pressure from Penn State in the second half, the Lions responded with clinical finishing and strong impact from the bench, pulling away in the final quarter to secure an emphatic 71–17 victory
.
What Happened:
Lindenwood came out firing on all cylinders, taking control of the match within the opening 20 minutes. The breakthrough came after a scrum win deep in the Lions' half, where slick hands across the backline allowed
Jacob Martin to kick ahead, with
Jack McAllister collecting the bounce to score the opening try. The Lions continued their attacking surge with tries from
James Birley, who beat the final defender with sharp footwork, and
Kieran Holland running a strong support line off McAllister. Momentum continued as
Byron Forward spotted space from a 22-meter dropout that landed in
Jacob Martin hands, finishing an impressive 60-meter effort. Well-worked attacking phases then saw
Cole Scharffenorth break the Penn State defense before offloading to
David Cathcart to score. Penn State responded with a try, but Lindenwood regained control with scores from
Caleb Murphy and Birley for his second of the day.
Byron Forward was accurate from the tee, converting 5 of 7 attempts
, helping the Lions take a commanding
45–5 lead into halftime, despite finishing the half with 14 men.
Lindenwood carried a commanding 45–5 lead into halftime after a dominant opening period against Penn State at Hunter Stadium. The Lions exploded out of the blocks with clinical attacking rugby, scoring multiple early tries and applying relentless pressure across the field
. Byron Forword controlled the tempo of the game, directing the attack and adding five conversions from seven attempts to keep the scoreboard ticking. Penn State managed a late response before the break, but Lindenwood remained composed, even finishing the half with 14 men, to maintain momentum and take firm control of the contest heading into the second half.
Lindenwood came out of halftime with intent, but Penn State struck first in the second half after earning a penalty in the Lions' half and converting the pressure into a try. The Lions responded well, using fresh legs from the bench to regain momentum. In the 60th minute, Lindenwood built phases from a lineout platform, with
Jacob Martin finishing the move and
Byron Forword adding the conversion. Moments later, a sharp break from a scrum set up
James Birley for his hat trick, with freshman
Luke White converting. Penn State responded with a try of their own, but the Lions finished strongly.
Jacob Martin completed his hat trick after a counterattack, and
William Bentley added the final score from a well-worked lineout attack to seal a
71–17 victory for Lindenwood.
What's Next:
Lindenwood now heads into a week-long spring break, giving the squad a chance to recover and reset after a strong run of performances. The Lions will return to action the following week to celebrate
Senior Weekend with two home fixtures at Hunter Stadium. Lindenwood will first take the field under the lights on
Friday, March 20 at 7:00 PM against McKendree, before closing the weekend with another home clash against Davenport on
Saturday, March 21 at 4:00 PM. The matches will mark an important moment for the program as the Lions honor their graduating seniors while continuing their push through the spring campaign.
Coach Quote:
"It felt like a party at hunter Stadium with high school teams in attendance and being on the road three consecutive weeks previous, but the boys in the wide channels didn't disappoint. Nice to see it come together for them."
Player Quote:
"Been a very tough four-week block of games, the first 3 being away from home were all very physically demanding so it was nice to wrap it all up with Penn State at home. To their credit they never stopped working for the 80 minutes, but I feel our team is really breaking into its stride now. Spirits are high, boys are confident and everyone's excited to get back after the break and pick up right where we left off."
3' Lindenwood Try Jack McAllister
4' Lindenwood conversion Byron Forword
6' Lindenwood Try James Birley
7' Lindenwood conversion Byron Forword
11' Lindenwood Try Kieran Holland
15' Lindenwood Try Jacob Martin
16' Lindenwood conversion Byron Forword
19' Lindenwood Try Jacob Martin
24' Penn State Try
28' Lindenwood Try Caleb Murphy
29' Lindenwood conversion Byron Forword
33' Lindenwood Try James Birley
34' Lindenwood conversion Byron Forword
42' Penn State Try
60' Lindenwood Try Jacob Martin
61' Lindenwood Conversion Byron Forword
69' Lindenwood Try James Birley
70' Lindenwood Conversion Luke White
72' Penn State Try
73' Penn State Conversion
77' Lindenwood Try Jacob Martin
78' Lindenwood Conversion Luke White
79' Lindenwood Try William Bentley
