Lindenwood Rugby closed out its season with a double-header friendly against Iowa State, showcasing both resilience and attacking firepower across the day. In the opening match at 12 PM, the Lions were edged 31–29 in a tightly contested battle, with the game coming down to fine margins despite a strong, competitive performance. Later in the afternoon at 2 PM, Lindenwood responded emphatically, delivering a dominant 88–0 victory to close the day on a high note. The two performances highlighted the program's depth, character, and ability to compete and execute across different match contexts as the season came to an end.
What Happened:
From the opening whistle, both sides brought strong intent, testing each other with direct carries and quick ball movement across the field. Iowa State struck first in the 15th minute, capitalizing on pressure to cross the line and take an early lead. They continued to build momentum and extended their advantage in the 25th minute with another well-worked try, adding the conversion to go 12–0 ahead.
Lindenwood responded with composure and intent, finding rhythm late in the half. In the 29th minute,
Jack Thory broke through to get the Lions on the board, with
Luke White adding the conversion to close the gap. Despite Iowa State's early control, Lindenwood's late surge kept them within striking distance, trailing 12–7 at halftime.
Lindenwood came out of the break looking to build momentum, but Iowa State struck early in the 43rd minute to extend their lead to 17–7, adding the conversion a minute later to push it to 19–7. The pressure continued as Iowa State crossed again in the 49th minute, followed by another conversion in the 50th, stretching the score to 26–7.
The Lions responded with intent and began to find their rhythm. In the 53rd minute,
Luke White powered over to spark the comeback, and just minutes later in the 57th,
Jack Cahill added another try as Lindenwood built momentum and applied pressure. Iowa State answered again in the 64th minute to keep control of the scoreboard, but the Lions refused to back down.
Aiden Kalmar crossed in the 66th minute to keep Lindenwood within reach, setting up a tense finish. With time winding down, the Lions continued to push, and in the 79th minute they found a crucial try, with
Ike Wrigley adding the conversion to bring the score within two. Despite the late surge, Lindenwood narrowly fell short, closing out the match with a hard-fought 31–29 loss.
In other action:
Lindenwood delivered a dominant performance in the second fixture of the day, running in a commanding 88–0 victory with relentless attacking pressure from start to finish. The scoring opened early in the 3rd minute through
Dylan Scruggs, followed quickly by
Moses Ratnage in the 5th, with
Gavin Richards adding the conversion a minute later. The momentum continued to build as
Eli Baumann crossed in the 8th minute, before
James Hunter added another in the 12th, with Richards converting again in the 13th.
The Lions showed no signs of slowing down, with
Ryan Keenan (15') and
James Hunter grabbing his second (19') as the pressure mounted.
Moses Ratnage added his second in the 23rd minute, followed by
Ben Crosby in the 27th, with another successful conversion from Richards. Just before the break,
Harley Slade crossed in the 29th minute, with Richards adding the extras to cap off a clinical first half.
The second half continued in similar fashion. Scruggs added his second in the 33rd minute, converted by Richards, before Slade crossed again in the 40th.
Emmett Bock added his name to the scoresheet in the 44th minute, with Richards converting once more. Bock secured his second in the 50th minute, while
Ben Crosby added another in the 55th, followed by a final conversion from Richards to round off a complete team performance as Lindenwood sealed an emphatic 88–0 win.
What's Next:
Lindenwood now shifts its focus to the Round of 16 playoffs, opening their National Championship campaign against Penn State at Hunter Stadium on April 11th at 3 PM. With knockout rugby underway, the Lions will look to build momentum, sharpen their execution, and deliver a clinical performance as they begin their pursuit of a national title.
Captain Jack Cahill:
"The game didn't go our way, but the lads showed a lot of heart to keep in the fight, I really enjoyed being able to play some good rugby on Hunter with teammates."
15' Iowa Try 0-5
25' Iowa Try 0-10
26' Iowa Conversion 0-12
29' Lindenwood Try
Jack Thory 5-12
30' Lindenwood Conversion Luke White 7-12
43' Iowa Try 7-17
44' Iowa Conversion 7-19
49' Iowa Try 7-24
50' Iowa Conversion 7-26
53' Lindenwood Try Luke White 12-26
57' Lindenwood Try
Jack Cahill 17-26
64' Iowa Try 17-31
66' Lindenwood Try
Aiden Kalmar 22-31
79' Lindenwood Try
Aiden Kalmar 27-31
79' Lindenwood Conversion
Ike Wrigley 29-31
| 1st XV vs Iowa |
|
|
| NO. |
|
|
| 1 |
Carter |
Breneman |
| 2 |
Jasper |
Quesenberry |
| 3 |
Jack |
Thory |
| 4 |
Laurie |
Thomson |
| 5 |
Owen |
Peel |
| 6 |
Ed |
Critchley |
| 7 |
Jack |
Cahill |
| 8 |
Shaun |
Ndowa |
| 9 |
Charlie |
Kirkpatrick |
| 10 |
Hassan |
Lin |
| 11 |
Myles |
Bailey |
| 12 |
Aiden |
Kalmar |
| 13 |
Marcus |
Robinson |
| 14 |
Ike |
Wrigley |
| 15 |
Luke |
White |
| 16 |
Henry |
Evans |
| 17 |
Cameron |
Schafer |
| 18 |
Emmett |
Bock |
| 19 |
Jacob |
Racine |
| 20 |
Joseph |
Racine |
| 21 |
Mutsumi |
Otaka |
| 22 |
Harley |
Slade |
| 23 |
Eli |
Baumann |
