3/30/13, Marietta, Georgia – In the first round of Elite Cup action, LIFE University's Men's Club Rugby squad came away with an impressive 52-16 victory over Boston RFC Saturday afternoon at the Life University Sports Complex in Marietta.

Paced by their dominating defense and controlled possessions, LIFE got off to a quick start and never looked back, never letting Boston get close enough to make the LIFE fans break a sweat. LIFE scored the first 24 points on three tries, two by fly-half AJ MacGinty and one by forward Tom Katzfey, and one penalty and three conversions by fullback Aza McMaster before Boston got on the board for the first time with a penalty at the 18:20 mark of the first half.

However, any momentum gained by Boston RFC was quickly stifled when Tui Osborne streaked down the center of the field untouched for 22 meters before touching down for a try that gave LIFE a commanding 31-3 lead with just over 12 minutes left in the first half. LIFE would lead 31-6 going into halftime.

"We came out of the box very stoutly and maintained possession very well," said LIFE Head Coach and hooker James Isaacson. "We also defended very well, which led to some easy tries off of turnovers."

Although Boston would put up a little more of a fight in the second half, LIFE was still able to keep control and pull out the victory while primarily fielding their second unit on the pitch for the last part of the game.

LIFE and Boston RFC are two of the four teams in one of two four-team round-robin pools in the Elite Cup tournament, along with New York Athletic Club (NYAC) and New York Old Blue. Today's match was the first in the Elite Cup tournament for both LIFE and Boston RFC, and it was very important to LIFE to get off to a strong start in pool play.

"It's a sprint now," noted Isaacson on the nature of the Elite Cup tournament. "You have to give it your all in every game and put maximum points on the board. We've started the tournament with great momentum, and that is what we will need going into our next two matches before the semifinals.

LIFE's next Elite Cup match will come at home in Marietta next Saturday, April 6 as they take on Old Blue with the time still to be announced. The top two teams from LIFE's pool will advance to the semifinal round of the tournament on Saturday, May 11. Make sure to keep up with LIFE rugby on www.liferunningeagles.com and the new www.rugby4LIFE.com and also follow them on Facebook at Rugby4LIFE for up-to-date information.