21-3 Win at Xavier

        Well, you know what they say, you can’t win em’ all. Well, apparently “they” are unfamiliar with Dayton Rugby. The Dayton Men polished off their spring season 3-0, sealing the deal with a 21-3 victory over Xavier. The Dayton Men traveled down to the lovely city of Cincinnati to put the big hurt on Xavier. The day held glorious weather conditions for rugby, with mild temperatures and sunny skies. The breeze blew gently out of the northwest. The match turned out to be more of a contest than many on Dayton’s team had anticipated, and poor pre-game planning definitely contributed to the difficulties. Playing without captain Dave Klug in the first half, the team suffered from a lack of organization. The young forward pack finally clicked late in the half and sophomores Gerald Kernan and Nate Frantz scored a try together at the bottom of a maul. The 7-0 halftime lead was very disappointing for the team. In the second half, a strong tackle from freshman Jack Brennan set up a 5-meter scrum, which eventually resulted in center Kevin Corcoran touching down in the corner for his third try of the spring. Hooker Dave Klug took a crash from the flyhalf to make it a 21-3 game. Quinn Macali went three for four on kicks for the day. For a division III school, Xavier fought valiantly but only managed to chalk up three points on a penalty kick. Having played a game the night before, Xavier was incredibly tired and rescinded their offer of a B side game. Dayton was upset with this decision but understands the logic behind it.

            The highlight of the match was Dayton’s joy of playing one last game with their graduating seniors: Flags (Adam Friedermann), Tuna (Dan Warzoha) and Hollywood (Walter Fyda). These Saturday afternoon heroes will be greatly missed, but while they leave the team - the end of another spring season means the welcoming of eleven new underclassmen to the Dayton Rugby family. Upon reflecting on the memories of our seniors we become nostalgic, but look forward to next fall with excitement knowing that the rebuilding is over and the team is ready to challenge for the Midwest crown.