The Baron’s Rugby team rallies together after their semi-final loss to Robert Morris Saturday.
BY MAGGIE VANDER WOUDE
STAFF WRITER
The Franciscan Barons rugby team finished off their fall season as runner-ups in the 3 Rivers Rugby Conference.
On Saturday afternoon, the men’s rugby team took on Robert Morris University (RMU) and unfortunately was not able to bring home the win, losing in a final score of 31-24.
The game was a competitive match. The Barons took the lead right away led by Mark Allen, senior wing, who put Franciscan up 5-0. RMU came right back and took the lead 7-5. Freshman wing Kevin Arkoosh was able to put some points up on the board making the score 10-7 at half time.
RMU came out strong in the second half and retook the lead 12-10. Franciscan fought right back, and with the help of senior Sebastian de Luxembourg, and again freshman Arkoosh, the Barons were up with the biggest lead of the game 24-12. RMU came out strong in the last ten minutes of the game scoring two more tries plus a conversion kick that won RMU the championship in a 31-24 victory. The men’s rugby team was cheered on by a significant amount of students who came out to support their team.
Dedicated fan and freshman, Charlie Kettinger, said about the championship game: “The boys really played hard and gave a valiant effort. It was a great game to watch. I love the camaraderie and good sportsmanship the teams displayed on the field.”
Head coach Chris Courtnell along with assistant coaches, Dan Kramer, Jonathan Rall, Justin Luther and Diana Salcido, led the Barons rugby team this season. The 2014 Franciscan rugby team successfully finished off their season as the 3 Rivers Rugby Conference runner-ups with an undefeated regular season of 8-0.
The team is sad to be losing many strong seniors: Mark Allen, Isaac Archibeque, Sebastian de Luxembourg, Thomas Hogan, Peter Kucharski, Clayton Lang, Brendan Linehan, Jason Liuzzi, Connor McCaffrey, and Anthony Tatasciore. Congrats to the men on a great season.