Men's Rugby Clinches Playoff Home Opener with Win over BYU
Men's Rugby / 03.25.24
PROVO, UT. — The Life University men's rugby team traveled to BYU over the weekend, confirming a home playoff contest with a competitive 30-15 win.
The Running Eagles saw a handful of players record tries as Tevita Mapa, Darius Law, and Philani Simamane all reached the try zone. Bradley Crane continued his sensational season delivering three try conversions and three penalty kicks to confirm the Life U win.
Director of Men's Rugby Blake Bradford shared his thoughts postgame, stating, "We always knew this weekend, was going to challenge us in different ways, with us having to deal with travel out west, time change, altitude, and some pretty cold conditions. On top of that BYU is a quality side and has been playing good rugby. I'm very proud of you guys for how they adapted to all these challenges and for capping of the Spring with a 4th win against ranked-opponents. We look forward to getting back to work in preparation for the playoffs."
Team captain and Rudy Sholz Award nominee Ishma-eel Safodien provided a quote postgame, stating, "Having to adapt to windy conditions put our set piece and kicking game under pressure in the first half. We came together nicely in the second half, playing the way we like to play while working hard for one another. We'll take some important lessons from this game against a quality BYU side before heading into the business end of the season."
Up next, the Running Eagles will host the D1A College Rugby Playoffs opening round matchup against Central Washington on April 6th. Kickoff is set for 1 pm.
