STEUBENVILLE, Ohio - The Franciscan University Barons continued to dominate the Three Rivers Rugby Conference with a 25-10 home victory against Carnegie Mellon University.
The match started off slowly, with CMU countering Franciscan's high level of fitness with strategic play.
"Carnegie Mellon wanted to slow the game down," head coach Ken DeLucia said. "Physically, they did not appear to be as fit as we were so that is a tactic many coaches use. It they aren't fit enough, they will try to slow the game down."
Used to a faster-paced game but being challenged by CMU's tactics, the Barons needed to take control of the tempo and play the quick, fit, and clean game they were prepared to play. Six minutes into the first half, senior forward Adam Smyth brought in Franciscan's first try and started to build momentum for the Barons. Freshman John Schuele followed with another try after sophomore Thomas Hogan brought the ball into a scoring position.
With six minutes left in the first half, CMU was given a penalty kick after FUS went into a ruck at an angle. Carnegie Mellon scored on the penalty to bring the game within seven points. Franciscan answered with a lineout win close to the try zone and sophomore Nick Reichert punched it in for the last try of the first half, 15-3.
Although the Barons started the second half with a comfortable lead, it was not enough. They sought to fully regain control of the field against CMU.
"We let the first half get away from us," DeLucia said. "But once again, these guys rose to the standard. We established our pattern of play in the second half."
The matched picked up speed and focus throughout the last 40 minutes. Reserves came off the bench to get playing time as Franciscan had obviously taken over with two more tries from Smyth.
"This guy goes everything for us," DeLucia said of Smyth , who was named Man of the Match. "He is typically a flanker but he moved in, he played for Jimmy when he got hurt and he did that flawlessly. He is an absolute leader and he just stepped it up and led by example today."
Smyth was not the only standout player in the day's victory. Senior forward Robert McClelland played especially well, transitioning from second row to first seamlessly. Sophomore Ian Miller also stood out as a prop in the front row, powerfully running players over until the very end of the game.
Even with a shakier start than past matches, Delucia said FUS came together on the field for an exceptional day of play. They plan to continue working on their fitness and depth as the season progresses.
"We feel really good about where we are and the momentum that we have moving forward into the remainder of the conference play," DeLucia said. "We feel great. Anytime we come out with a win in a conference game, it's tremendous. To do it in front of everyone here at Homecoming, even better."
The Barons will play next at an away match against Point Park University on October 12 at 1 pm.
