STEUBENVILLE, Ohio –First half scoring and second half heart characterized Franciscan University's 10-7 win over Division II opponent Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the 11th Robert D'Anniballe Rugby Ruckus.
The Barons, under new head coach Chris Courtnell, played their best in the game's first ten minutes, taking an early 10-0 lead.
"We came out of the gates first. We knocked them on the ground. We put points on the board and they were never able to recover," Courtnell said.
The scoring started with a penalty kick from first-year player Mark Allen who gave the Barons a 3-0 lead just a few minutes into the game. FUS didn't waste much time increasing their lead when eight-man Jimmy Keuber punched the ball in for a try from three yards out. Allen's ensuing conversion boosted the score to 10-0.
Then the rain kicked in and play of the game dramatically shifted. The already slick, new rugby balls at times looked almost impossible to hold on to and the game took a sloppy turn.
"After that it got scrappy, the ball was dropped a lot but the guys held together," Courtnell said. "It wasn't a pretty game of rugby but it's at times like that where you just have to dig your heels in and see it to the end."
After the rain let up, IUP started to take control, possessing the ball in the Baron's defensive side of the field. FUS fended off the Crimson Hawk attack for what seemed like a never ending first half, but then an IUP player broke two tackles inside the five yard line just barely reaching the ball beyond the try line. A successful conversion pulled IUP within three just before halftime.
"We knew that for the first game of the season there would be some mistakes but it's how we react to those mistakes and resolve them," Courtnell said.
Franciscan looked to clean up the match in the second half but the game turned into a fumble-frenzied battled for field position with the ball staying on IUP's half of the field the majority of the time.
The Baron's discipline and work rate continued to win them scrums and rucks which increased in number as the half wore on, threatening to score multiple times in the final 20 minutes. Despite failing to increase their lead, however, FUS never allowed IUP to mount a significant attack.
"The team that wins every game of rugby is the team that comes together. It's not about having 15 individual, amazing athletes," Courtnell said. "It's about having a team of 15 players that play for each other and as one unit. That's what we're working towards and that's what you saw tonight."
The vanguard for the teamwork was man of the match Jason Luizi who was crucial in organizing the team's attack and providing an emotional spark at critical moments during the match.
"He led from the front. He spearheaded our heart and our passion," Courtnell said of the senior.
The win stopped a two game Rugby Ruckus losing skid for the Barons and kicked off their 2014 season with a win over one of the top ranked teams in division II rugby.
"The key today was our passion," Courtnell said. "To kick the season off with the Ruckus and with a win, particularly those first ten minutes, that's what this game is all about."
The Barons will continue the season with their first game of conference play on September 6 at 5 pm when they take on Geneva College.
