USD Improves to 2-0 Over Mira Costa College

USD moved to 2-0 with a 25-15 win over Mira Costa. 

The match started fast and physical, with both teams trading big tackles and strong carries. The Toreros had a hard time exiting their own 22, and after sustained pressure, Mira Costa got a penalty near the posts. The Spartans would knock the penalty over to take a 0-3 lead. USD fired back after the kickoff and exerted some pressure of their own. A penalty near midfield was kicked deep into the corner by Michael Lewis, and the USD forwards went to work. A maul was brought down just shy of the goal line but was done so illegally. The ensuing penalty went to the corner, and this time the ball was worked into the hands of freshman phenom Nate Leff. Leff bounced off a couple of would-be tacklers and touched down for a try. The conversion was missed but USD held a 5-3 lead. The Toreros would continue to dominate the half, with freshmen Sam Carlson and Torres Kapust leading the way defensively. USD again exerted pressure on the opposition and got deep into opposition territory consistently. The pressure eventually led to a pick-and-go try from Joey Varcoe, building on his week 1 man-of-the-match performance. Michael Lewis would knock over the conversion for a 12-3 lead. Soon after a Mira Costa clearance kick was gathered by Leff 40 meters out. The speedy winger beat 4 defenders on his own for a brilliant solo try and his third straight multi-try game for USD. Mira Costa capitalized on some USD mistakes to get a try in before halftime and make the score 17-8 at the break.

The second half was a slugfest with both teams making many unforced errors. The frustration from both sides led to an extra level of physicality from both teams. The breakdown was hotly contested by both teams, with Michael Lewis and Paul Habeeb winning key turnovers from the Toreros. 2022 League MVP Michael Ramos entered the fray in the second half and had a massive physical impact on the game. Felix Morales entered soon after and rumbled over for a would-be try, but was deemed to have been held up. Eventually, Mira Costa worked up the field and punched a try to make things very close down the stretch. With the conversion by Mira Costa USD’s lead was cut to 17-15 with 15 minutes to play. USD went to work and spent a prolonged period in the opposition 22, and were eventually awarded a try by Shane Jamison. The 22-15 lead was still in danger as Mira Costa again stormed up field to attempt to get a try to tie the game with 5 minutes left. USD held and eventually gained a penalty near the posts. Michael Lewis was cool under pressure and knocked the kick over to put the Toreros two scores up at 25-15. One final push from Mira Costa way stymied and the referee blew the final whistle to put an end to a tense matchup.

Director of Rugby Kevin Eaton on the win “ A win is a win and it’s always a good experience for a team to protect a tight lead late in the game. Mira Costa has some incredible players and they are well structured under coach Keli Ross- Ma’u. We’re excited for the next challenge.”

USD moves to 2-0 and top of the gold coast standings. They will host UCSD on Manchester field for their home opener on Saturday February 25th. The match featured another energetic performance from Nate Leff. The freshman dotted down twice against ASU and added another two against Mira Costa. His offensive production has been key as USD has gained bonus points in both matches thus far. While the offensive production kept the scoreboard ticking over, the game was clinched with physicality in the trenches. The USD forward pack was significantly smaller than their opposition but held strong with great commitment in the tackle and ruck areas. A pair of freshman from De La Salle high school stood out, with Sam Carlson and Torres Kapust both putting the grunt work in the tight 5.

Sam Carlson was recognized as man of the match for his stalwart defense and hard running for 80 minutes.

Final Score: 25-15

LSKD Man of the Match: Sam Carlson

Starting Lineup

1. Torres Kapust
2. Logan Tatum ©
3. Seni Fagbeni
4. Dustin Braun
5. Sam Carlson
6. Shane Jamison
7. Joey Varcoe
8. Michael Ramos
9. Micky O’Leary
10. Michael Lewis
11. Nate Leff
12. Paul Habeeb
13. Daniel Suhr
14. Jackson Short
15. Devin Hoovel

Subs

Cameron Mahdavifar (60’ Kapust)
Alexis Mendieta
Mac Johnson 
Michael Ramos (45’ Girard)
Christian Welch (55’ Varcoe)
Gavin Saville
Lucca Deocariza
Felix Morales ( 60’ O’Leary)

Scoring

Tries

2 Leff, Jamison, Varcoe

Conversions

1/3 Lewis

Penalties

1/1 Lewis