Life University Athletics

MARIETTA, Ga. ---- The No. 2 nationally ranked and No. 1 seeded Life University men's rugby team defeated No. 8 seed and No. 9 Penn State 34-3 at home Saturday afternoon 34-3 to advance to the D1A Rugby East Bracket Quarterfinals.

Daemon Torres scored the first try of the match in the ninth minute that was set up by Harley Wheeler to give Life U an early 5-0 lead. Julian Roberts scored next four minutes later to put the Running Eagles ahead 10-0. The physicality of the match began to set in, as neither team scored in the remainder of the first half for a 10-0 Life U lead at the half. 

Opening up the second half, Ryan Rees found a gap and put Torres in for his second score of the match with a successful conversion from Duncan Van Schalkwyk. Penn State scored its only points of the match with a penalty kick in the 46th minute to bring the score to 17-3.

Van Schalkwyk and Justin Johnson followed up with scores of their own to push the lead even farther to 27-3. Torres earned his hat-trick in the 78th minute as the Running Eagle defense held on to earn the 34-3 victory.

The men's rugby team will return to action next Saturday, April 20, as they travel to Annapolis, Md. to face No. 5 seed and No. 4 Navy on the road in the D1A Rugby East Quarterfinals.