The playoffs were out of reach for both the Arizona and ASU men’s club rugby teams, but fourth place was at stake in a 10-team conference – and, more importantly, intrastate bragging rights in a physical sport.
With pride on the line, Arizona concluded its season on a high note with one more win at newly constructed Rincon Vista Complex, defeating the Sun Devils 13-10.
Arizona (10-4, 6-3 SoCal Conference) has enjoyed dominance in the series, which dates back to 1975, enjoying an all-time 43-13-1 advantage. ASU has not won a league match against Arizona in 20 years.
But the close score reflects improvement in a Sun Devil program that enjoyed its best season since joining the SoCal Conference in 1997. ASU finished with a 4-5 conference record.
Longtime UA head coach Dave Sitton, who has taken the pitch as a player or coach in every showdown between the teams, was not sorry to see the Sun Devils gaining ground.
“”Rugby and basketball are two examples of sports where Arizona fans must hope for a solid ASU squad,”” Sitton said. “”Since we play two matches a weekend, much like basketball plays two games a week, it’s in our best interest for opponents to worry about two Arizona schools.
“”Now they do.””
For those uninitiated into the world of rugby, Arizona put on an offensive tutorial by scoring in every way possible.
The versatile display included a 35-yard drop kick goal by fullback Jordan Kohn and a 40-yard penalty kick by flyhalf Steve Elsbecker to give Arizona a 6-0 lead at halftime. Early in the second half, wing Dan Hafner completed a 45-yard run across the ASU goal line to score Arizona’s first try of the night and five more points.
Elsbecker then tacked on the two-point conversion by sending the free kick through the uprights, upping the lead to 13-0 and accounting for the night’s total offensive production.
The Sun Devils, held scoreless for 60 minutes, pulled within three by late in the second half, scoring two tries in 20 minutes, but were unable to close the gap thanks to two missed conversions.
Lacrosse loses two
The No. 11 Arizona men’s club lacrosse team lost a pair of tightly contested games to ranked opponents at Murphey Field over the weekend.
With friends and relatives in abundance for Family Weekend, the Laxcats (8-4) dropped Friday night’s game 10-8 against No. 7 Colorado (6-1), followed by a 13-12 defeat Saturday against No. 1 Oregon (11-1).
Against Colorado, Arizona trailed the entire game, held to one goal in each of the first, second and fourth quarters. However, trailing 4-2, Arizona scored a season-high five goals in the third quarter, but ceded four goals to the Buffaloes to trail 8-7 going into the fourth. Arizona fielded a balanced scoring attack, with seven players scoring at least one goal. Only attack Corey Smith netted more, with a team-high two goals.
Arizona jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead against Oregon at the end of the first quarter. But the Laxcats were unable to maintain their offensive intensity, scoring only one goal in each of the second and third quarters. Trailing 9-7 going into the fourth quarter, Arizona found another late explosion, scoring five late goals but giving up four of their own.
The Laxcats pulled within one point in the last minute of regulation, but the Ducks were able to withstand the Arizona rally and run out the clock for the victory.
Attack Greg Polheber and Smith led the team in scoring with three goals apiece while midfielder Peter Hoselton distributed the ball well, logging a team-high three assists.
The Laxcats continue their home stand Friday, hosting California at 7 p.m.
