ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Apr. 7) – The Central Washington University men's rugby team dropped its season finale in a hard-fought contest against Brigham Young University, 38-22.
"What a great spectacle for collegiate rugby today," CWU Head Coach
Todd Thornley said. "The intent and desire were there, however we let ourselves down in big moments and BYU, being the good side they are, capitalized. Special mention to our seniors. They led from the front all day and should be proud of the place they are going to leave the program after their final home match."
The Cougars found the scoresheet first, tallying their first try just five minutes in.
Alex Mackenzie responded in the 13
th minute. Mackenzie scooped up an errant lineout and dove over the try line, levelling the score at 5-5.
After the restart, BYU drove into the Wildcats' defensive third and looked for try once more, inching their way towards the line. The Wildcats' defensive line held and forced a turnover in the 16
th minute. The Cougars found a break in the Wildcat defense four minutes later, when Coleman Meier broke free for the try. Calvin Whiting added the conversion for a 12-5 lead.
Tua Leai added to the Cougars' lead in the 31
st minute. After Whiting's conversion, BYU staked out a 19-5 advantage.
As time dwindled in the final phase,
Scott Dean and company engaged in a prolonged battle with the Cougars' line. Dean was able to dive over the line and ground the ball in for try, cutting the deficit to 19-10 at the halftime whistle.
Mackenzie added his second try in the 45
th minute. After dummying a pass, Mackenzie broke free from his marker and sprinted in the try.
Ian Wright tacked on the conversion, cutting the score to 19-17 in favor of BYU.
The Cougars scored three consecutive tries, taking a 38-12 advantage, before
Kawika Macy found his way over for a try. Macy powered up the middle and was able to ground the ball for the score, but it was not enough as BYU held on 38-22.
Try Summary
5:00 – BYU – Tosh Wilcox
13:00 – CWU –
Alex Mackenzie
20:00 – BYU - Coleman Meier (Whiting)
31:00 – BYU – Tua Laei (Whiting)
40:00 – CWU –
Scott Dean
Halftime: BYU 19, CWU 10
45:00 – CWU –
Alex Mackenzie (Wright)
53:00 – BYU - Zachary Webber
57:00 – BYU – Spencer Ika (Whiting)
64:00 – BYU – Braden Pape (Whiting)
73:30 – CWU –
Kawika Macy
FINAL SCORE: BYU 38, CWU 22
