By Mo Hill, Sports Reporter
A 98–5 win for the Canisius Rugby team has led to high spirits among players and fans. On Sept. 21, the Canisius Crabbies Club Rugby team took to the field at Delaware Park and secured a sweeping win against SUNY Potsdam, moving them to 1–1 on the season.
Throughout the game, the team’s offense showed extreme prowess and potential. The offense was spearheaded by senior Jeremiah Fleming, who scored over a quarter of the team’s points. Despite an injury close to the halftime point, the Crabbies constantly had Potsdam on their toes, with several key players forcing the ball forward and exhausting the Potsdam defense. The Crabbies defense kept Potsdam on the backpedal and allowed them to score only once throughout the entire game.
This pacesetting win by the Crabbies came after a slow start to the season. After a first game cancellation by Paul Smith’s College, and a crushing 78–26 loss to SUNY Plattsburgh, things were not looking good. First-year student Nathaniel Lopez says the reason the game against Plattsburgh was so difficult was due to internal conflicts. “Once they scored on us, it took a huge toll on us mentally because we kept getting scored on and kept fighting each other.” The previous loss led to an important shift in the mentality of the players going into their next game, which allowed them to claim this victory easily. When asked what changed after the game against Plattsburgh, another player said, “I feel like it was us locking in and getting serious for the entire season. That first loss was tough, but we really pulled through for this game.”
Now that the team has secured a win, they are feeling more confident in themselves. Lopez explained, “confidence levels are always up there, if you’re not confident in yourself then you won’t perform well. If you have low expectations you’ll get lower results.” When asked about the next game he said, “I believe that our next game will be challenging, but if we can score first, work together, and lay down the wood, then we will win.”
The team is currently preparing for their next game against Clarkson University on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Delaware Park.
Photo Courtesy of Ben Cordero