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                         May 10, 2002

Rugby takes 3rd at Final Four

By Cadet 1st Class Jerrod Adams
Army Rugby PAO

Army returned from the Final Four of the National Collegiate Rugby Championships with a third place finish to end their 2001-2002 campaign. Army lost to 12-time defending champion University of California-Berkley Saturday 59-5, but held their heads high and fought back to beat Wyoming 12-5 Sunday.

This marked the ninth time Army Rugby has advanced to the Final Four, including each of the last four years.

Although the sky was gray and the rain was falling, Army fans were in the stands cheering on the Black Knights as they kicked off against Berkley in the semi-finals of the national championships.

Both teams played intense rugby in the first half, with possession of the ball going back and forth as the rain and mud made it difficult to sustain any offensive charge. Army, deep in their own territory, resisted multiple Berkley attacks, but finally tournament MVP Kort Schubert took a quick tap off an Army penalty and dove across for the first try of the match. Just three minutes later the Berkley backs were able to send the ball out and exploit a hole in the defense for a breakaway try and a lead of 14-0.

Army scored their only try of the match when sophomore wing Michael Ziegelhofer intercepted a tipped Berkley pass and ran it in 10 meters for the score.

The scoring was all Berkley in the second half. They won with a score of 59-5 to advance to the championship.

Although disappointed about the loss Saturday, Army was not about to lose their final match of the year. The seniors knew it would be their last game and fiercely wanted to go out with a win.

Both teams played ferocious rugby, which made defense the highlight of the match. The Black Knights scored first, but Wyoming tied the score 25 minutes into the match.

The score stayed tied at 5-5 when, with only five minutes left to play, Army found themselves deep in Wyoming territory.

That’s when senior prop Andy Klutman powered his way through four defenders for the go ahead try. Junior scrum-half Shannon Worthan converted the kick to make Army’s lead 12-5. Army’s defense then held strong to give the Black Knights the win and the third place finish.