Life Takes Care of Davenport on the Road
Men's Rugby / 03.18.18
On a warm St. Patrick's Day in Caledonia, MI, LIFE ran away decided victors over Mid-South conference opponent Davenport University by a score of 97-3. The win keeps them in sole possession of first place in the Mid-South Conference.
Maciu Koroi got things started in the 9th minute with a grounding from a pushover scrum for his first try, and then a long break through middle for his second just moments later. After a break around the ruck at the halfway line, Koroi got his hat trick in just the 31st minute. For much of the match, LIFE balanced some longer periods of defense with quick scoring strikes in transition play and from set piece, despite an early injury. Aaron Montoya came off the bench just six minutes in and filled in well at hooker. The senior showed hustle in defense as he led the tackle count and was effective with his throws into the lineout.
"We talked about getting off the ground and working for two tackles in a row," said Head Coach Colton Cariaga. "Monty came in and did that. The guys worked for that."
On the attack, LIFE's backline crossed the line 9 times as halfbacks Ryan Rees and Duncan Van Schalkwyk led the way with two and three tries respectively. George Phelan also dotted down twice while Harley Wheeler and Mitch Wilson scored one a piece. In the forward pack, 2nd row Jamie Berrisford scored off a smartly played maul in the 51st minute. Then, Daemon Torres' break and offload to Julian Montes in the 72nd minute, saw the sub prop score the Running Eagles' final try of the day.
On the weekend overall, captain Mitch Wilson had this to say: "These long road trips really bring the team together and you could see the cohesiveness on the field." Head Coach Colton Cariaga echoed his captain's sentiment, "It was an opportunity to get closer and ultimately compete. We did that and it gives us strength moving forward."
LIFE will be on the road again next weekend as they take on #5 Lindenwood in St. Charles, MO at 7:00pm Central.
