BEAVER FALLS, Pa.- It was a close game, but through grit and determination the Franciscan University rugby team came out on top against Geneva College in a 22-19 victory in the Three Rivers Rugby Club semifinals.
"It was a tight game throughout," said head coach Chris Courtnell. "For a while we didn't know which way it would go."
It was just a few weeks ago when these teams last clashed, and in that meeting the result was reversed. The Barons for this matchup cleaned up the mistakes they were making in the previous meeting and came out all guns blazing, said Courtnell.
"We knew our season wasn't over, and to extend our season we had to win," said Courtnell. "That's just what we did and that's just what we'll do next week."
Courtnell said that there were stellar performances all around, but the biggest advantages came out of the back line and in the scrums. The back line controlled the tempo of the game and scrums were dominant physically. There were several yellow cards on both teams and that left the game open at times, said Courtnell.
The Man of the Match was flyhalf Sebastien de Luxembourg.
"He was the real difference in the game," said Courtnell. "Whenever we had the ball he did a great job of controlling the ball, knowing when to pass and creating gaps in the right places.
Franciscan will play next week for a conference championship, taking on the winner of Robert Morris and Fairmont State.
