USD Claims Gold Coast Title With Win Over Claremont
On Saturday, March 25th USD rugby faced the Claremont colleges in the Gold Coast championship game. The winner would move on to national playoffs against Western Washington University. Both teams clearly felt the significance of the occasion as the first 20 minutes of the game was littered with unforced errors. USD played into the wind in the first half and had a difficult time controlling territory with kicks being pushed backward by strong gusts of wind. USD eventually worked the ball into the opposition 22 and tight head prop Seni Fagbeni scored from close range. The score was converted by Michael Lewis for a 7-0 Torero lead at the 20-minute mark. The Claremont Lions then worked into USD territory but had a difficult time executing at the line out which allowed USD to counter again and build some solid phases on attack. Eventually, a Claremont clearance kick was well returned by Jackson Short, who got the Toreros deep into Lions’ territory. The ball was bounced back to the weak side where Shane Jamison was waiting to run in for a great team try. USD would add one more score before halftime through Michael Ramos to take a 17-0 lead at the 40-minute mark.
The second half saw USD playing with the winds at their backs, and they quickly used the conditions to their advantage. An attacking scrum inside the Claremont 22 was kept in tight by the forwards before the backline spun the ball out wide for a walk-in try for Daniel Suhr. USD continued to play outstanding defense in the second half as they consistently won the physical battle at the point of contact. Unfortunately, a strong tackle from Paul Habeeb in the 52nd minute was deemed dangerous and the center would sit for 10 minutes in the sin bin. Claremont would immediately seize the opportunity with flyhalf Sam Brown slicing through the Torero defense before offloading to Owen Richards for the score. USD led 24-7 still but needed to keep their composure while defending the lead down a man. In the 58th minute, Claremont was awarded a penalty in the USD half and quick-tapped to try and capitalize on the man advantage. A huge hit from Felix Morales in the midfield jarred the ball loose and Daniel Suhr pounced on the ball. He immediately moved it wide to Nate Leff who beat several defenders before offloading to a streaking Devin Hoovel who stepped the fullback for a great score against the run of play. The conversion from Michael Lewis put the score at a much more comfortable 31-7 in favor of USD. Claremont played hard until the final whistle and got in for one more score in the 75th minute. Their desire to chase the game hurt them as they tried to play deep out of their own end in the 78th minute. A loose pass was gathered by Lucca Deocariza near the goal line who then dove over for an easy score. This would put the final at 38-14 in favor of USD.
The win clinched a second consecutive league championship for USD. While success feels familiar for this current team it is important to note that the previous drought for a league championship was almost 30 years, so back to back titles is an incredible achievement. The team is excited to look forward to the playoffs, with a home game at Manchester field on April 15th upcoming. USD will host Western Washington University in the D1-AA national semifinals with a berth in the national championship game on the line.
Director of rugby Kevin Eaton on the win: “ I continue to be impressed by this group of players. They are always up for a battle and the contagious desire to tackle whatever is in front of you is felt throughout the whole squad. Defense continues to be our hallmark with a final tally of 67 points against in league play this year, which breaks down to less than 14 points a game surrendered. We have got a massive month ahead of us now but we are up for the challenge.”
Head Coach Charlie Purdon: “Proud of the boys for how they won in all areas that require no talent today. They worked hard and were first to any loose ball on the turf today. A league championship is great but we want more.”
It was another Saturday of standout performances but this week’s LSDK man of the match is Nate Leff. Leff gets his first man of the match in his first scoreless league match. While he was not seen on the scoresheet, Nate was able to beat 3-4 players every time he touched the ball and completely shut down the left side of the field defensively. The freshman winger has been a standout all year for the Toreros and has a very bright future at USD.
Starting Lineup
Torres Kapust
Logan Tatum ©
Seni Fagbeni
Dustin Braun
Sam Carlson
Shane Jamison
Cameron Mahdavifar
Michael Ramos
Micky O’Leary
Michael Lewis
Nate Leff
Paul Habeeb
Daniel Suhr
Jackson Short
Devin Hoovel
Subs
Anthony Bonilla (50’ Fagbeni)
Tommy Frei
Hunter Lysholm (70’ Mahdaviifar)
Joey Shenton (75’ Jamison)
Lucca Deocariza (75’ Suhr)
Gavin Saville
Felix Morales (50’ Short)
Scoring
Tries
Fagbeni, Ramos, Jamison, Suhr, Hoovel, Deocariza
Conversions
4/6 Lewis
Final Score: 38-14