Finally the cold is over (for the time being) on a nice, warm Saturday afternoon, your UT Dallas Men took on Midwestern St. (MSU) in the final league match of the 2013-14 season.
For MSU they have a chance at making the playoffs with a win over UT Dallas, for UT Dallas a chance to dot complete a 3 undefeated league season before going into the playoffs.
The Line up for this match:
1. Jonathan, 2. Alex, 3. Ryan, 4. Eric, 5. Weston, 6. Ahmad, 7. Matt, 8. Mohammad, 9. Cameron, 10. Andrew, 11. Justin, 12. Vince, 13. Stephen, 14. Alejandro, 15. Luke
Replacements: Marc for Stephen, Brian for Luke - 2nd half. Nicky for Andrew middle of the 2nd half.
With some players missing this match because of school commitments, we took the field with the players that have been working all year and with that confidence, we played on. The first half provided a lot of entertainment and challenges against a bigger MSU side. It was MSU that drew first blood by scoring 6 minutes into the match, and then again near the end of the match. But it was UT Dallas' will to continue playing good hard nose rugby, and with that effort UT Dallas was able to score 2 converted Trys themselves, bringing the score at the half a tight one - UTD 14, MSU 12.
The second half was exactly like the first half, hard hitting, hard running, good passing. Both sides would go up and down the field. MSU would score on a rare penalty Try and convert that, the rarity is that a team would have to do a lot to keep the other team from getting into goal, but it was UTD that had 3 infractions of the laws of rugby that moved the referee to give MSU the penalty Try. They would score one more try on the day, but that would be it. It was now UT Dallas' turn to run the field. They would score 3 converted Trys in this half to secure another win. But I think the play of the day was Alejandro intercepting a pass and taking off down the left touch line, only to hear footsteps knowing he was about to be caught, he turned back towards his team mates and saw an open Justin streaking down the field, passed the ball to him and Justin streaked in for the Try.
Scores - Justin (2 Trys), Cameron (2 Trys), Alejandro (1 Try), Alex (1 Conversion), Vince (4 Conversions)
The final score UT Dallas - 35, MSU - 26 and UT Dallas completed their 3rd undefeated season going 8 - 0 in league play. With the playoffs/championships around the corner, they will have 2 weeks to prepare for this, which will be hosted by UT Dallas. This will be March 1 & 2, more details to come.
The UT Dallas Women played an exhibition match against MSU Women, this was their first match ever and they asked if we would play, in which our ladies readily accepted.
The match was played after the men's match and just about like every match we've played this year, UTD had to give their opponent some players to keep the match playable.
With that being said, the line up was:
1. Melissa, 2. Lauren, 3. Gisselle, 4. Alyssa, 5. Rachael, 6. Judit, 7. Stephanie, 8. Vic, 9. Amber
Players given to MSU: Natch, Chelsea, Aimi
The match kicked off and from the get go, it was all UTD. The girls ran hard, passed and tackled. This was by far their best showing all season. UT Dallas Women scored Trys in the first half and kept MSU out of goal for the entire 1st half. The ladies playing for MSU, also played very well, they did everything they were taught and the MSU coach was pleased with what he got.
The second half we got the girls back from MSU and gave MSU, Judit, Melissa and Amber.
The line up 2nd half:
1. Gisselle, 2. Lauren, 3. Natch, 4. Alyssa, 5. Rachael, 6. Stephanie, 7. Aimi, 8. Vic, 9. Chelsea
The second half was just as entertaining as the first, but it was a couple of UTD players, who was playing for MSU that had a very positive impact. Judit ran with all the confidence in the world, not only with MSU, but when she played as a Comet. Melissa ran the ball well and was instrumental in giving off the assist that allowed MSU to score their first and only Try of the game.
Scoring in the game was: Lauren (1 Try), Judit (1 Try), Stephanie (2 Trys), Aimi, Amber and Chelsea all scored their first Trys of their career. Alyssa converted This was a fun way for the UT Dallas Women's Rugby Club to finish out their first season. More on their first season later after I break down some stats.