GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The men's rugby squad was firing on all cylinders Friday night in a 55-0 win over visiting McKendree at the DU Turf Field. The win propels DU to 4-0 overall this fall during 15's.

The game on Friday was a much-anticipated one as it was our first match versus McKendree. The young McKendree team made up of freshmen and sophomores came ready for the challenge, but the experience of the Panthers was too much for them to overcome. Despite the weather reports noting a wet evening, the Panthers were up to the task. Within the first five minutes, the Panthers scored their first try with a short run along the edge by fullback Luke Stratford with a conversion by Christiaan Van Der Westhuizen making the score 7-0. As the night wore on, Davenport would continue taking advantage of the young McKendree team scoring an additional 48 points making the final score 55-0. Van Der Westhuizen converted five out of eight kicks and scored two tries for a combined total of 20 points. Other scores were from Stratford (1 try), Lucas Staggs (1 try), Harrison Nash (2 tries), Xijon Deacon (1 try), Takunda Makiwa (1 try), and Saul Pitout (1 try). 

Despite a complete effort by the whole team one player stood out during the match earning himself Man of the Match honors (Van Der Westhuizen). Tune in next week for a highly anticipated game when the #7 ranked Davenport faces the #4 ranked Lindenwood Lions in their first conference clash of the season.