GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Davenport played against Lindenwood University for their eighth match of the 15's season on November 19th. The final score against the Lions was 32-0 resulting in Davenport's only loss this far in the season, leaving them at 7-1. Lindenwood is ranked second in their conference and provided to be a tough opponent. This was a weather-stricken game with snow on the turf, fog, wind, and a chilly 23-degree temperature.

The match started off with Lindenwood taking a pretty hefty lead, despite the weather conditions, putting Davenport back on their heels. During the entirety of the game, Davenport dominated in scrums even with the snow covered field making it pretty unstable with holding ground. According to some of the players, that was the first time they've consistently dominated in scrums, nearly winning each and every one. This means not only had they improved from past weeks, but so much so that despite all of the challenges in this game, they had more strength in scrums and were able to gain ball possession more often in hopes of keeping the Lions from scoring and scoring some points of their own.

The second half of the game was 40 minutes of pushing through the harsh conditions and just playing good rugby. Davenport was able to push defensively and make their tackles, only allowing one break in defense resulting in another try for Lindenwood. Defensively not allowing for points is not an easy feat on frozen turf, and shows the amount of skill that Davenport has despite conditions that are not in their hands. Wind making kicking more difficult, along with the freezing temperatures seemed to affect both teams equally, not giving anyone a clear advantage. By the end of the game, the score was 32-0 resulting in the victory of the Lions. The Panthers will store this in their memories, and bring a fierce comeback next semester. Until then Davenport men's rugby will be taking a well-deserved break over the holidays, returning with the readiness needed for another extremely successful season of rugby. In the spring, they will be playing the rest of their 15's season as well as beginning their 7's season.

The team takes a break and will return to the pitch by March 5th where they take on Life University in Marietta, Georgia. Kickoff times will be updated on the website when it gets closer to the match. 

Story by: Taylor Badal