PHILADELPHIA – After finishing strong on the first day but not winning their pool, Life U's men felt they had something to prove. They proved their point defeating tough opponents in Saint Mary's and Lindenwood for the right to face California in the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championships Championship match. Unfortunately, they could not overcome the Golden Bears to take home the title.
"After yesterday, the performance in the first game today and going into the second today, a team can look a little two-faced at times," said head sevens coach Colton Cariaga. "What I mean by that is a team may not look great in one match and turn around and look really good in the next. I think that was the case with us today. Sometimes on day one you are not playing well and begin to think, 'what are we not doing right,' and then day two comes and you start playing well, and it's just guys stepping up in big moments like they did today."
The quarterfinals feature a rematch of the USA Rugby DIA 15s National Championship with the Running Eagles facing off against Saint Mary's. In what a brutally defensive and low scoring match, Life U was able to come out on top with a 7-5 victory.
In the semifinals, the Running Eagles took on Lindenwood. After trailing for a large portion of the first half, Life U was able to cut the lead to 14-12 going into the half. The squad was able to carry that momentum into the final period and was able to take control to punch their ticket to the final with a 24-14 win.
Facing the defending champs, Cal, in the championship, Life U had their work cut out for them. After a back and forth, defensive first half, the Golden Bears were able to get on the board first as time expired to take a 7-0 lead into the half. They continued to roll in the final period and put the Running Eagles on their heels. Cal successfully defended their title with a 19-0 victory.
"Unfortunately, we did get the result we wanted in that last match, but I think the guys would agree with me that we didn't play our best throughout the game. If you don't play your best in a championship game, you might end up on the wrong end of the score. However, we are incredibly proud of our guys. Turning it around and finishing strong on the first day when it was a little shaky and coming in today and beating some really good teams to even get to the final, they didn't disappoint me that's for sure."
