The University of South Carolina defeated Wake Forest 20-17 on Saturday's opening weekend of Carolinas Rugby League play in Columbia, SC. The Demon Deacons put in a lackluster effort in the first forty minutes, allowing the #22 ranked Gamecocks to jump out to a 15-3 lead at the break. Wake rallied in the second half behind the inspirational play of captain Mike Duffy, who was battling a nasty stomach virus and almost didn't make the trip to Columbia. Tries from senior prop Kenton Forte and sophomore scrumhalf Will Hank, both converted by freshman fullback Johnny McMurray, gave Wake Forest a 17-15 lead with 15 minutes to play. But mental errors and poor tackling allowed South Carolina to retake the lead with an unconverted try in the 73rd minute. The Demon Deacons pressured hard in the game's final minutes and looked well-positioned to claim the victory or at least salvage a draw, but a knockon at the tryline and a missed penalty kick in the last two minutes left them trailing at the final whistle.
Head Coach Patrick Kane said of the loss, "It was a tough defeat, because I think the guys believe we were the better team. But we didn't come out to play until the second half and against a team as skilled and well-coached as South Carolina, that's just not going to cut it. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is the final score. USC played hard for 80 minutes and deserved the win."
Wake Forest did manage to secure a bonus point in the standings for a loss by less than 7 points, but that was little consolation for the Demon Deacons, who now must turn their attention towards next week's match against the University of North Carolina. "There were some positives we can take from today's game," said Assistant Head Coach Alex Lucas. "We had some good phases of play, and we stayed structured for the most part. It was the mental errors that killed us and that's what we need to work on eliminating this week in practice."
Wake Forest will host the Tar Heels on Saturday at 1pm on Poteat Field. Both teams will come into the match at 0-1 in league play, with UNC having been upset by North Carolina St. 21-18 on Saturday. Elsewhere, Clemson defeated East Carolina 12-8 in what was an exciting opening week of play for the new Carolinas Rugby League.
Wake Lineup vs USC
1. Kenton Forte, Sr.
2. Jeff Millar, So. (Justen Robinett, So. @ 62)
3. Devin Henry, Jr. (Nick Conte, So. @ 40)
4. Ross Hilton, Sr.
5. Christian Jewett, Sr.
6. Mike Duffy, Sr.
7. Trent Justice, Sr.
8. Hunter Lostan, Jr.
9. Will Hank, So.
10. Brendan Shea, So.
11. Rob Kelly, Fr.
12. David Sage, Sr.
13. Kip Lewis, So. (Gabe Huertas Del Pino, Sr. @ 50)
14. Perry Savagne, Sr.
15. Johnny McMurray, Fr.
Tries: Forte, Hank
Conversions: McMurray 2
Pens: McMurray
Head Coach Patrick Kane said of the loss, "It was a tough defeat, because I think the guys believe we were the better team. But we didn't come out to play until the second half and against a team as skilled and well-coached as South Carolina, that's just not going to cut it. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is the final score. USC played hard for 80 minutes and deserved the win."
Wake Forest did manage to secure a bonus point in the standings for a loss by less than 7 points, but that was little consolation for the Demon Deacons, who now must turn their attention towards next week's match against the University of North Carolina. "There were some positives we can take from today's game," said Assistant Head Coach Alex Lucas. "We had some good phases of play, and we stayed structured for the most part. It was the mental errors that killed us and that's what we need to work on eliminating this week in practice."
Wake Forest will host the Tar Heels on Saturday at 1pm on Poteat Field. Both teams will come into the match at 0-1 in league play, with UNC having been upset by North Carolina St. 21-18 on Saturday. Elsewhere, Clemson defeated East Carolina 12-8 in what was an exciting opening week of play for the new Carolinas Rugby League.
Wake Lineup vs USC
1. Kenton Forte, Sr.
2. Jeff Millar, So. (Justen Robinett, So. @ 62)
3. Devin Henry, Jr. (Nick Conte, So. @ 40)
4. Ross Hilton, Sr.
5. Christian Jewett, Sr.
6. Mike Duffy, Sr.
7. Trent Justice, Sr.
8. Hunter Lostan, Jr.
9. Will Hank, So.
10. Brendan Shea, So.
11. Rob Kelly, Fr.
12. David Sage, Sr.
13. Kip Lewis, So. (Gabe Huertas Del Pino, Sr. @ 50)
14. Perry Savagne, Sr.
15. Johnny McMurray, Fr.
Tries: Forte, Hank
Conversions: McMurray 2
Pens: McMurray
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