CALEDONIA, Mich. - Davenport played against Life University for their sixth match of the 15's season on November 5th. The final score against the Eagles was 23-10 resulting in Davenport being undefeated at 6-0. This match was extremely important for the Panthers considering they have not won against Life University in their entire history. The Eagles were ranked fifth overall in their division, but that will now change due to the loss against Davenport. The pitch was extremely windy with overcast skies and some occasional rain, which were not ideal rugby playing conditions.
The match started off strong with both Life and Davenport pushing their defense up hard and moving the ball quickly in hopes of gaining ground. It seemed to be an even matchup from the sidelines, and then Life gained enough ground to make it into the try zone, but Davenport's defense was too strong and Life's attempt at try was held up. This resulted in a turnover ball that led to Davenport's first try at the 27:03 minute mark by Xijon Deacon. A few minutes later the Eagles made their first try, but was countered by a try from Mat De Villiers with the help of a great run by R.J. Pua. Soon after Davenport's second try were two beautiful penalty kicks from De Villiers making the score a solid 16-10. The rest of the game the Panthers focused on flat-line defense, making the Eagles work extremely hard to even gain a little ground. This allowed Life to make mistakes that Davenport capitalized on every time.
The second half of the game was back and forth, but the wind was on Davenport's side, allowing them to make their game play kicks more useful with the wind, and allowing them to pressure up and gain positive ground. Life was running strong and trying to utilize quick balls, but positive tackles from Davenport threw them off of their system on multiple occasions. With three minutes left to spare, Christian Van der Westhuizen scored the closing try of the game, with an extra two points from the conversion by De Villiers. This finished the game and left them with the final score of 23-10. The entire team moved as one unit, and really built off of each other to be successful.
The win against Life University this weekend was one well deserved. The Panthers gave it their all and nothing proves hard work more than defeating a rival. History was truly made today, and Davenport Men's Rugby will continue to show their efforts on the pitch in upcoming matches.
Scoring Breakdown for Davenport v. Life
Mathew Devilliers - 1 try and 1 conversion and 2 penalty kicks (13 points)
Luther "Xijon" Deacon - 1 try (5 points)
Christiaan Van der Westhuizen - 1 try (5 points)
Next weekend, the Davenport Men's Rugby team takes on Arkansas State University on Saturday, November 12th on the DU Turf Field. Kickoff will be at 4:00 PM.
Story by: Taylor Badal
