In below freezing temperatures with winds gusting at close to 40 mph, Wake Forest beat East Carolina 46-38 on Thursday night in Greenville, NC. The bonus point victory keeps Wake alive for a playoff spot with one game remaining on its Carolinas Rugby League slate.
Wake Forest opened the scoring on with a converted try from sophomore flyhalf Brendan Shea in the 6th minute. But as would be a pattern throughout the first half, ECU struck back immediately with a try of their own to make the score 7-5. With winds rendering the kicking game useless and making lineouts difficult, both teams opted to take quick taps at almost all penalties, the result of which was fast-paced, free-flowing, exciting rugby. Wake scored next when sophomore wing Will Hank touched down in the corner, but ECU evened the score at 12 within minutes. A long range try from senior scrumhalf Mike Duffy put Wake ahead 17-12, but ECU responded with a converted try to go up 19-17. Senior inside center David Sage went over to make it 22-19 in favor of Wake, but ECU scored in the 40th minute to take a 24-22 lead into the break.
With the wind shifting a bit in the second half, Wake had the full run of play and looked to be clear of the Pirates. Tries from Duffy, 8man Hunter Lostan, flanker Trent Justice, and prop Ken Forte put Wake ahead 46-24 and the rout appeared to be on. But the young East Carolina side showed how dangerous it can be, and in the final 5 minutes spectacular individual efforts from ECU inside center and captain Justin Bourgeois and fullback Bobby Allen saw ECU narrow the gap to 46-38. With the outcome of the game suddenly hanging in the balance, Wake pressured deep into ECU territory and from a 5 meter scrum Duffy put the ball into touch to end the game and seal the win.
Wake Forest head coach Patrick Kane, who had previously been 0-6 against East Carolina, said of the match, "with the cold and windy conditions, you would have expected a low scoring affair. Instead, we got just the opposite and although I wish we hadn't made it so close, it was certainly fun to watch. I was proud of the guys for how much intensity they played with- it was refreshing to see us constantly on the front foot for once. ECU deserves a ton of credit for what they've done this year, especially considering the amount of talent they graduated from last year's team. Justin Bourgeois was an absolute force for them and almost single-handedly kept them in the game. As their young players continue to develop, they will be back on top very soon."
Wake has the weekend off now as all make-up games have been played and it is their regularly scheduled CRL bye weekend. Next Saturday they will play Appalachian State, with a victory essentially assuring the Demon Deacons of a spot in the South playoffs.
Wake Lineup vs ECU
1. Nick Conte, So. (Devin Henry, Jr. @ 55)
2. Sal Scifo, Fr. (Hunter Lostan, Jr. @ 15)
3. Ken Forte, Sr.
4. Ross Hilton, Sr.
5. Christian Jewett, Sr.
6. Ty Pierce, Fr.
7. Trent Justice, Sr.
8. Jeff Millar, So. (Justen Robinett, So. @ 50)
9. Mike Duffy, Sr.
10. Brendan Shea, So.
11. Will Hank, So.
12. David Sage, Sr.
13. Perry Salvagne, Sr.
14. Tyler Vanston, So.
15. John McMurray, Fr. (Drew Mehrmann, Fr. @ 75)
Tries: Shea, Hank, Duffy 2, Sage, Lostan, Justice, Forte
Con: Hank 3
No comments:
Post a Comment