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Bowling Green Rugby Overpowers Cincinnati Bearcats in MAC Conference Opener
Bowling Green launched their season with a commanding 38-5 victory over the University of Cincinnati Bearcats Saturday at Mazzarella Field at BGSU.
This opening match in the MAC Conference set the tone for what could be a promising season for the Falcons.
The match kicked off in windy conditions which made for a challenging game—Cincinnati had the wind at their backs in the first half but didn't exploit it as much as they wanted to. Still, BGSU, while finding some success kicking out of their end, were playing into the breeze and thus couldn't kick for massive distances. As a result, for the first 20 minutes or so neither team was able to spend much time in the other team's 22.
The score stood at 0-0 for some time until fullback Joe Romshe launched a counter-attack in which he links with Logan Van Hoose, and Joey Apel, setting the stage for a picturesque try from Owen Slimmer.
The Falcons built on their lead after that with Xavier Everett powering through and center Logan Van Hoose capped off a long period of pressure late in the half. Apel converted all for a 21-0 lead.
In the second half, UC did well into the teeth of the wind and got a nicely-taken try from fullback Ja'Mez Early when they finally found some consistent possession, while BGSU did not run away with it. The Falcons were content to kick downfield and pin UC in their end.
"We worked a lot on keeping the ball outside of our territory in the second half, so even though we weren't able to score a lot defensively that was a very positive second for us.,"
said BGSU captain Joey Apel.
"We definitely did a good job keeping our heads and keep our composure, and play good, solid defense."
Along with Romshe, Apel, and Everett, No. 8 Phil Tracey was instrumental both in carrying the ball and leading the defense by forcing penalties and stealing possession. Slimmer, Everett, and Van Hoose scored Bowling Green's tries in the first half, with Apel converting all three.
Tracey, scrumhalf Fitzpatrick Metzger, and lock Zach Szepiela logged the Falcons' tries in the second half. Apel converted one.
For UC, Early showed plenty of potential to be dangerous. No. 8 John Reddy put in a full shift, while freshman prop Phil Bottomley tested Bowling Green's defense with some hard runs.
"It was a good performance but there are several things we could be better at,"
said BGSU Head Coach Tony Mazzarella.
"It was a solid start but it did take us a while to get going."
