Barons 1-2 at Pitt City Tournament

Barons 1-2 at Pitt City Tournament

SLIPPERY ROCK, PA- The Franciscan University of Steubenville Rugby Team participated in the Pitt City Rugby tournament on Saturday facing The University of Pittsburgh Panthers, the University of Maryland Terrapins, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

"We were playing schools with 30,000 students" said Alumni Rucker Arthur Klatte, "Our team showed real heart on the field." The Barons, because of their second place performance in the tournament last year, were moved up a division, which is why they lined up against division two rugby powerhouses.

The First game of the day was against the University of Pittsburgh. Coming out hard and fast the Barons kept the ball on the Panther side of the pitch, and were able to make it into the try zone twice, but were held up. The first 20 minute half was scoreless for both teams. The Barons brought the same intensity in the second half, and it seemed as though the game would be a draw. However, 10 minutes into the second half, the Panthers kicked the ball away and tricked the Barons with a quick lineout and ran the ball into the try zone. The kick was no good, and the Panthers held off the valiant efforts of the Barons to win the game 5-0.

The Barons' next match was against the highly acclaimed Powerhouse University of Maryland Terrapins. The Barons were at a disadvantage because of the Terrapins' size, but the Barons rucked hard to maintain possession of the ball for most of the game. The Terrapins had the intensity to match the Barons, but at the half the Barons led 3-0 from a penalty kick. The second half was full of hard rucking and fast forward play, but Mike Storelli and Bobby Morris were able to push into the try zone and put the Barons ahead to win the game 10-0.

The Third and final game was the runners-up game for third place, and the Barons would line up against a team of overbearing size and ability: Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). Coming out, it seemed as though the Barons would hold their own facing a team with size like IUP, but the relentless punches by their forwards awarded them try after try and the game ended 24-5.

Though their final record was 1-2, their dignity and passion earned them the respect of the teams they played. Team Captain Pat Salibi said of the performance in the tournament, "We went out and everyone played their hearts out and even though we came out with two losses, it was a good experience for the team as a whole. We didn't take away the wins but we took away experience."

The Barons next game will be 1 p.m. Saturday at home against Ohio University.