KUA Falls to Portland RFC

Portland (ME) 29  KUA 7

The KUA rugby side fell to 0-2 on the season after falling to Portland RFC 29-7.  Out massed and out numbered, the KUA side played on their heels for the first twenty minutes of the match.  Against a side that had already played a number of matches and was ‘clicking’ early on the day, the KUA side gave up five try’s in the first twenty minutes and found themselves down 29-0.  Many teams would simply give up at this point and ‘coast’ to the final whistle.  The KUA side, however, refused to give in to Portland.  They began to work as a team and they were the side that were winning rucks and mauls.  At the 27 minute mark, Daria Mashouf received a pass and ran it in for a try from 5 meters out.  Matisse Baumann added the PAT. 

The last forty minutes of the match saw the KUA side dominating play.  A frustrated Portland side began committing multiple infractions and KUA took advantage.  KUA shut out the Portland side in the last 40 minutes of play, but could not overcome the early lead.  When the final whistle blew the score was Portland 29  KUA 7. 

Man of the match honors went to Chris Wei and Philip Sparks.  Although new to rugby this year, Chris played an excellent match at number 8.  He was a physical presence against a side that prides itself on its physical presence.  Philip Sparks was a back who was called on move to forward in the middle of the match.  His performance at flanker played a big role in KUA’s turnaround in the final forty minutes.  Other notable performances were put in by Matisse Baumann, Liam Eldred, Luke Robinson, Harry Lee, Fico B. de Quiros, Harrison Spayth, Daria Mashouf, and Ahmad Mashabi.