Wake Forest went 2-1 in pool play on the first day of the Atlantic Coast Invitational, but fell to Virginia in the Quarterfinals and finished with a win over Georgia Tech and a loss to Clemson to close out the tournament.On the first day of play, Wake opened against the Clemson Tigers. Wake controlled most of the game, but had trouble finishing plays. Senior Steve McMillen carried the Demon Deacons on his back in the first half, touching down two tries to put Wake Forest up 14-0 at the half. But Clemson scored to start the second half and make it 14-7. Wake looked to put the game away when senior Drew Chadwick made a dazzling run to the tryzone, beating 4 Clemson defenders in the process, but he lost the ball forward in the tryzone, giving the Tigers some life. A sideline tackle by senior Matt Storck forced a knockon and preserved the win for the Demon Deacons.
Lineup vs Clemson
1. Ross Hilton, Sr.
2. Jack Zimmerman, Fr.
3. Hunter Lostan, Sr. (Matt Storck, Sr. @ 11)
9. Johnny McMurray, So.
10. Brendan Shea, Jr.
12. Steve McMillen, Sr. (Ryan Tacon, Fr. @ 7)
14. Drew Chadwick, Sr.
Wake's second game pitted them against the Florida St. Seminoles. Wake took control early, with senior Hunter Lostan scoring in the first minute of play to put the Demon Deacons up 5-0. Unfortunately, Lostan was injured while scoring the try and had to leave the game. Shortly thereafter, senior captain Ross Hilton left the field with what was later determined to be a broken ankle, and Wake was without it's two inpsirational senior leaders. FSU took advantage of the situation and reeled off 17 unanswered points to win the game 17-5.
Wake Lineup v. Florida St.
1. Ross Hilton, Sr. (Ty Pierce @ 2)
2. Liam McIntyre, Fr. (Jack Zimmerman @ 7)
3. Hunter Lostan (Ryan Tacon @ 2)
9. Johnny McMurray, So.
10. Brendan Shea, Jr.
12. Steve McMillen, Sr.
14. Drew Chadwick, Sr.
Wake's final game of the day was against the NC State Wolfpack, who had won their first two games of the day handily. With McMillen and Hilton out with inkuries, the Wake lineup was shuffled around with Will Hank coming in at scrumhalf, McMurray moving to flyhalf, and Shea moving to prop. The revamped lineup played exceptionally, and with tries from McMurray and Chadwick, Wake came out on top 14-7.
Wake Lineup v. NC St.
1. Hunter Lostan, Sr.
2. Jack Zimmerman, Fr.
3. Brendan Shea, Jr.
9. Will Hank, Jr.
10. Johnny McMurray, So.
12. Ryan Tacon, Fr. (Matt Storck, Sr.)
14. Drew Chadwick, Sr.
Wake's win over NC St. meant that Wake, FSU, and NC State all finished pool play tied for first with 2-1 records. Tiebreak rules meant that NC State got the first seed out of the pool, FSU got the second seed, and Wake got the 3rd seed. Wake would therefore face the second seed from the opposite pool, University of Virginia, in the quarterfinals on Sunday.
With McMillen and Hilton ruled out for Sunday with injury, Wake went into its game with UVA undermanned but confident. A try by Jack Zimmerman in the first minute put Wake up 7-0, but UVA answered back with two tries to take a 10-7 lead at the half. The first 6 minutes of the second half were dominated by Wake Forest, as the Demon Deacons executed their best rugby of the season. But they only got 5 points out of it through a try by Chadwick. With less than a minute remaining, Wake led 12-10 and looked poised to advance to the semifinals. But a break by the Virginia wing resulted in a 5 meter scrum to Wake just outside their own tryzone. After winning the scrum, Wake kicked the ball downfield. The Virginia wing gathered the kick and raced towards the tryzone. Wake was whistled for a high tackle penalty, and on the ensuing quicktap, UVA barged into the tryzone to take the lead 15-12. A tremendous conversion put the Cavs up 17-12 with only one play left in the game. Wake received the kickoff and tried to attack for the game-tying try, but a missed pass allowed UVA to pounce on a loose ball in the tryzone to end the game with a try and a final score of 24-12.
Wake Lineup vs. UVA
1. Hunter Lostan, Sr.
2. Jack Zimmerman, Fr.
3. Matt Storck, Sr. (Ty Pierce, So.)
9. Will Hank, Jr.
10. Johnny McMurray, So.
12. Brendan Shea, Jr.
14. Drew Chadwick, Sr.
The loss sent Wake into the Challenger Division Semifinal against Georgia Tech. With the championship out of reach, Wake fielded a very young team, with 4 freshmen and two sophomores starting the match. The youthful Deacs showed that the future of Wake Forest rugby is very bright, with freshmen Jack Zimmerman and Ryan Tacon scoring tries, along with sophomore Rob Kelly and junior Brendan Shea en route to a 22-5 victory.
Wake Lineup vs. Georgia Tech
1. Matt McCurdy, Fr. (Matt Storck, Sr. @ 7, Ty Pierce, So. @ 10)
2. Jack Zimmerman, Fr.
3. Hunter Lostan, Sr. (Brendan Shea, Jr. @ 7)
9. Sal Scifo, So.
10. Rob Kelly, So.
12. Ryan Tacon, Fr.
14. Liam McIntyre, Fr.
The win over the Yellow Jackets sent Wake into the Challenger Final for a rematch against Clemson. The Tigers had gone 0-3 on Saturday but improved considerably with each match and were 2-1 on Sunday heading into the Challenger Final. Wake looked to play an entertaining style of rugby, but miscues and fatigue resulted in Clemson jumping out to an early lead. Wake struggled to climb back into the game and could not close the gap, the final whistle sounding with Clemson winning 24-17. Wake tries were scored by Chadwick, McMurray, and Zimmerman.
Wake Lineup v. Clemson
1. Hunter Lostan, Sr.
2. Liam McIntyre, Fr. (Jack Zimmerman, Fr. @ 15)
3. Matt Storck, Sr. (Ty Pierce, So. @ 10)
9. Sal Scifo, So. (Will Hank, Jr. @ 10)
10. Johnny McMurray, So.
12. Brendan Shea, Jr.
14. Drew Chadwick, Sr.
The tournament championship was won by NC State 24-12 over UNC. The Wolfpack finished the weekend 5-1, with their only loss coming to the Demon Deacons on Saturday.
Wake now switches gears to 15s rugby and will next be in action in an exhibition game against Elon at home on September 25.
No comments:
Post a Comment