Match Report: Utah (M) & Oxy (W)
Dominic Riebli
The USC Men closed out their PAC Rugby season with a 7-57 loss to Utah while the Women concluded their PacWest Conference schedule with a 32-33 loss to Occidental College.
Men’s Utah Match Report: The Trojans traveled to Salt Lake City on Saturday to take on the Utes. Despite having a good amount of possession and time in the attacking zone, USC failed to convert opportunities into points. On the flip side, Utah’s size advantage and superior continuity lead to several well-worked tries.
“The 7-57 scoreline doesn’t reflect the overall feel of the game; it certainly doesn’t reflect the effort and tenacity the players showed,” said Coach Bryan Randles. “We played a lot of rugby inside their 22 meter zone but failed to punch the ball in. Utah would get the turnover and quickly turn defense to offense. We gave up a few soft tries early and never got back into the match.”
Junior Captain Michael Cesar scored a consolation try in the 70th minute to expunge the shutout.
Men’s Heart of America Rugby 7s: Despite struggling through a down season of XVs, the Trojans cannot overlook their success in VIIs. On that note, the Men will attempt to qualify for the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship via the Heart of America Classic. On April 13-15, USC will compete against several schools from the Midwest in this annual tournament. It woud be a tremendous feat for the Trojans to reach the CRC tournament and potentially get exposure on NBC Sports. We will train hard over the next few weeks and make a go of it.
Women’s Oxy Match Report: USC Women hosted Occidental College in their regular season finale and played a back-and-forth, fun-running affair. After falling behind early, the Trojans fought back to take the lead late in the match before conceding a final try in the 79th minute that sealed their fate, 32-33.
Center Madison Benson continued to show flashes of brilliance offensively, with several line breaks and long runs combined with a couple tries. Her finest moment came when she offloaded from the tackle to a hard-charging Kimiya Malek to set-up an 80-meter try. Prop Alexis Bradby also played exceptionally well on the day and coupled strong ball-carrying with a try and solid defense. Senior Scrumhalf Sydney Lance showed all the emotion, grit, and leadership that a coach could want from a Captain.
“I’m proud of the way they played today,” said Coach Dominic Riebli. “If we’d actually had more game time (USC forfeited several matches due to lack of players), we would’ve pulled that one out. We can train all we want and prepare for certain situations, but until the girls get into it live and full-tilt, they won’t get the full experience.
“While the season has been difficult to navigate, the fact that we finished on the field constitutes a victory. Last year’s squad didn’t complete their season; this year’s squad did. We’ll build from here; hopefully get these women the support they need to move forward.”
Fight On!
-Dominic Riebli
Director of Rugby
PS: The year obviously didn’t work out as planned in terms of results for both the Men’s and Women’s teams. The coaching staff will meet with the players in the near future to chart a course for future success. Though the lessons have not come easy, we have all learned them and will do everything we can to align our priorities with our abilities.