The men’s rugby team defeated the Canisius College Golden Griffins 29-17 on Saturday in a Division I matchup. The victory over the Buffalo, N.Y., school brought the team to a 2-0 record.
Though the Red Hawks started slowly with a turnover in Griffin territory that led to a converted try, RPI came back from the 7-0 deficit and dominated the game afterward.
Eightman Bill Ryan brought the Red Hawks back on track with an unconverted try, scoring five points for the team. Sophomore Lock Jeff Berger added another five points with an unconverted try of his own. This was Berger’s first appearance in the regular season; he sat out the first game with a preseason injury.
The last score of the half came when senior Inside Center Mike Arthur faked the defense out with a dummy pass and ran 40 meters for a try. Ross Barber converted to bring the score to 17-7. RPI ended the half threatening Canisius again, but could not score in time.
An early penalty against the Red Hawks allowed the Griffins to mount a comeback. Freshman Flyhalf Mike Lunney of Canisius slotted a kick, bringing his team three points. They quickly scored and converted on another try, evening the score at 17.
The RPI squad took the steam out of the opponent’s comeback when Arthur scored close to the post and junior Nate Spillane converted to bring the score to 24-17. One more RPI try closed the scoring at 29-17.
The rugby club’s next appearance is at Cornell on September 29.
