Apparently the second time’s a charm for BYU rugby, taking home a win in a rematch against Saint Mary’s 35-21.
Saint Mary’s was BYU’s only loss of the season, taking the Cougars’ No. 1 spot in the nation. This match kept fans on their toes with steadily close scores, but the Cougars were able to maintain a steady lead.
“Our boys did some very good things,” said head coach David Smyth. “We’re coming more together as a team, and our boys stepped up, did the hard work and did what they had to do to get the victory.”
BYU kicked open the first half of the game, the first minute of the game already more intense than last week’s game against the Glendale Raptors. Five minutes in, BYU sophomore Jonathan Linehan scored the first points of the game with a try and conversion, putting the Cougars up 7-0.
The Gaels kept up, gradually gaining momentum in the 14th minute on their next drive until junior Kyle Sumsion stepped in and made a stop. Because of the nature and stake of this game, penalties were called often and throughout the game.
Twenty minutes into the game Linehan scored again with a penalty kick, bringing the Cougars up to a seven-point lead at 10-3. The first half was played hard, full of kicks and kept at a fast pace.
By the beginning of the second half the Gaels had already scored more points than the final score of the Raptors last week, clearly holding their weight in the match. Ten minutes before the end of the game Saint Mary’s started catching up after making a penalty kick, shrinking BYU’s lead to only six points.
The comeback was short lived, and BYU scored the final seven points of the game, the last try taken by sophomore Joshua Whippy.
“Saint Mary’s came out and gave it their all, and we’re grateful to walk away with a victory,” Sumsion said. “Last time we played (St. Mary’s) we were humbled, and so this time we knew we had to put in some hard work in order to come out victorious, and that’s just what we did.”
Today’s win puts the Cougars 9-1, winning every home game of the season. BYU will head to Idaho State next week, looking to continue its winning streak.
