By Evan Doan, Sports Editor
Aquinas men’s rugby vs Davenport University – Photo by Grace Malec
The Aquinas men’s rugby team started their 15 man season with two road tests. They traveled to Ann Arbor to face the University of Michigan to open their season before heading back to Grand Rapids to face cross town rival Davenport University.
“Through the first two games, we’ve had some really positive periods, but we’ve also seen areas where we need to become more consistent,” head coach Lance Hohaia said. “That’s probably where we are as a team right now, capable of playing some very good rugby, but still learning how to put together a complete performance.”
It was all positive in Ann Arbor. Aquinas would strike first and build a commanding lead over the Wolverines. Junior Liam Inman and sophomore Darryl Lunon would find the try-line for the Saints. Senior Gavin Thompson would add two more tries of his own before the half. Inman would convert all four kicks to give Aquinas a 28-0 lead into halftime.
The Wolverines would strike back in the fifty-fifth minute making it a 28-7 game. A red card shortly after would cause Aquinas to play a man down for the remainder of the game, but this would not slow the Saint attack.
Inman would score again, shorthanded, before the sophomore Noah Davis would add the final tally to make the final score 40-7 Aquinas.
“Being able to come out fast to start games has been a huge boost to team chemistry and morale during games,” senior Riley Lovenberg said. “I think we have a great group of guys and a solid chance to take the season far this year.”
Gavin Thompson tackles a Davenport attacker – Photo by Grace Malec
Aquinas battled Davenport in their week two matchup. The Panthers would break the deadlock with a drop goal to make it 3-0, but Liam Inman would respond with a try and conversion for the Saints who held a 7-3 lead at halftime.
The Saints defense held strong for most of the second half, but two late Davenport tries gave the Panthers an 18-7 lead. With four minutes remaining Inman appeared to score a try to make the match a one score game, but the try was disallowed leaving the final score at 18-7.
“We’re only two games into the season, so I don’t think we want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but there’s a lot of potential within this group,” Hohaia said. “We came into the season with high ambitions, and that hasn’t changed, but our focus is very much on improving week to week and making sure we earn whatever comes our way.”
The Saints will hit the road for a third straight match as they head to Ft. Wayne to face off against WHAC foe Indiana Tech on Sept. 26. The game is scheduled to start at 2 p.m.
