Despite having several injured players, the Hillsdale ruggers came out on top in a fierce battle for their first season win on Sunday. Hillsdale scored early on in the match, setting the tone for the rest of the afternoon against the Windsor Cougars.
“From that point on we had some breakthroughs, gaining momentum from there,” junior Spencer Amaral said.
The Charger men scored six tries to soundly defeat the opposing Cougars.
“We seized the opportunity to score when they seemed a little unsure in the first half,” freshman Colin Wilson said.
The opponents, a new team to the pitch this season, struggled with the fundamentals from the opening play. Hillsdale gained the advantage with aggressive rucks and solid team communication. “The team came ready to play, scrum, and fight for the ball. We were ready for them,” freshmen Jacob Reddick said.
At the beginning of the second half, Windsor came back to score a series of tries that tightened the score. The Charger pack made solid tackles and ended the Cougar surge.
“We didn’t hesitate to take a hit, and we’re more than glad to deliver one,” junior Josiah Young said.
Jacob Barrett, Adam Kern, and Kirkland Ventrella all racked up points for the team.
The win reflects the level of friendship we have off the pitch, several of the players said.
“A lot of things really clicked this game for all of us. Everything we’ve been doing in practice finally became cohesive as a team on the field. Seeing it work out was beautiful,” Amaral said.
The two teams spent time together afterwards eating, commending each other for a good match, and chatting about the sport of rugby.
Hillsdale added an extra Saturday practice to last week’s practice schedule—an adjustment they said contributed to the victory.
“We played Bowling Green first and on Saturday we will play them last. The goal is to finish strong and see how much we have improved,” Wilson said.
Saturday, Oct. 27 is the final match of the season. It will take place at Hayden Park at 1:00 p.m., before homecoming’s evening festivities.