USD wins another vs USC
USD moved to 2-0 with a commanding 32-2 victory over USC. The Toreros dominated the Trojans in all facets, with the scrum being an area that was most mismatched. The USD pack bullied their opposition, stealing almost all of their opponents put ins at scrum time.
After spending a long period in the Trojans half to start the game, USD started the scoring through captain Mickey Miller. Miller took a pick from close range and dove over to start the scoring. Soon after, Andrew Lopez picked the ball from 5 out and crashed over for another score. Not to be out done by his brother, Cameron Miller added a try just before halftime. A beautifully weighted pass from Lopez put Miller into space, and he did the rest to finish for the score. Cameron Wilmer converted the try to put USD up 17-0 at halftime.
The second half wold be more of the same one way traffic. The USD pack continued to be dominant, with the backline putting in a strong defensive shift as well. Freshman center Mark Boschetti made several dominant tackles throughout the course of the match. USD executed a game plan of continuous pressure throughout the second half. Adam Swete was the benefactor of this game plan, as he was gifted a score in the 45th minute. A sliced clearance kick was caught by Swete, who simply outpaced the man in front of him from close range for a score. Swete is currently holding the lead for most points scored for the team, with 20 thus far. USC had a couple decent opportunities in the second half, with a standout performance from the Trojan 8-man Rohan Martin almost being rewarded with a score. USD bent and did not break, and eventually worked their way up the field. USD would add to their lead, as Avery Vandenberg put Henri Vatinel into space in the 60th minute. The speedy freshman made no mistake, and raced around a defender for a try in the corner. USD subbed early and often in the second half, with many young players coming in to make their impact. Henri Vatinel paid it forward, as he switched roles from scorer to assister on USD’s final try of the day. Vatinel dished the ball to substitute Blake Limon, who scored with his first touch of the ball. With the score 32-0 with 10 minutes left, USD continued to attack but would not get another score. USC opted for a penalty kick in the 72nd minute to avoid a shut out, and the score would stand at 32-3.
It was a strong defensive day for USD, with the usual suspects of Mickey Miller, Darren Seward, and Adam Swete leading the charge. The true standout of the day was the USD scrum. The tight five of Gomez, Swete, Lopez, Seward, and Cameron Miller were outstanding. None were better than the anchor of the scrum, tight head prop Andrew Lopez. Lopez is USD’s man of the match.
Final Score: USD 32- USC 3
Man of the Match: Andrew Lopez
Starting Lineup
Pedro Gomez
Adam Swete
Andrew Lopez
Darren Seward
Cameron Miller
Ryan McCool
Matt Carter
Mikhail Mabourakh
Conor O’Shaugnessey
Cameron Wilmer
Avery Vandenberg
Mickey Miller
Mark Boschetti
Henri Vatinel
Jordan Sandoval
Substituions
Nick Classen (65’ Lopez
Clayton Cervantes (65’ Swete)
Jonathan Hale (60’ Mabourakh)
Parker Rogers (65’ McCool)
Wyatt Darien (45’ Carter)
Iso Moimoi (75’ M.Miller)
Blake Limon (60’ O’Shaugnessey)
Matt DeSalvo (70’ Vatinel)
Scoring
Tries
Lopez, M. Miller, C.Miller, Swete, Vatinel, Limon
Conversions
1/6 Wilmer