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Rugby Cats Defeat No. 5 Penn, Roll Past Hudson in Weekend Contests

By Joe Ginley, 03/19/17, 6:15PM EDT

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Snow, wind, and rain pelted the Saint Ignatius rugby team this weekend, but Mother Nature could not stop the Wildcats.

The Rugby Cats endured chilly weather at Wasmer Field to defeat both the Penn Kingsmen, 30-12, and the Hudson Explorers, 113-0.

Following the weekend wins, the rugby team stands at 4-0 on the season heading into its spring break trip to France. 

Cold weather conditions and a difficult foe confronted the Wildcats on Saturday. Penn entered the weekend as the No. 5 team in the nation, according to the Goff Rugby Report. 

The first half reflected as much. Penn struck first with a conversion and a try to earn an early 7-0 lead. But a Penn yellow card gave the Wildcats some energy, which was reflected on the scoreboard after Chris Fedor converted a penalty kick following a Penn offsides. 

Penn then made up for its mistake with a try, placing the Wildcats' deficit at 12-3. The Wildcats soon responded, as senior Eddie Patton set up Juan Pen and a try, with Fedor scoring on a resulting quick tap.

However, the Kingsmen then made a critical error. A Penn player committed a high tackle, receiving a red card and thus forcing Penn to play a man down for the remainder of the contest. 

The score stood at 13-12 Wildcats heading into the second stanza, a seemingly narrow lead. 

But a decision by Head Coach Dan Arbeznik '00 gave the Wildcats a major strategical advantage. The veteran Wildcats' coach opted to play against the wind in the first half in order to have it as his team's back in the second. 

The decision paid off in spades. 

The Wildcats scored on a try early in the second half to establish a larger lead and scored again with 19 minutes left to set the advantage at 25-12. A late try then sealed the deal, setting the score at 30-12 in favor of the hosts. 

Senior Eddie Patton performed admirably for the Wildcats, recording a try and finding open spots in Penn's defense. Captain and prop Jimmy Desmarteau headlined the forward effort, while Juan Pen used his size on both offensive and defense. Junior flanker Nick Zolikoff's played an impressive contest, too, earning himself man of the match honors.

"In previous years we had lost to Penn as a result of our inability to execute at the scrum," Coach Arbeznik told the Goff Rugby Report. "Today's win was one for the forwards truthfully.  They defended like warriors. There were errors everywhere in the backlines but they made sure that we got the ball back on Penn's mistakes."

Credit Penn on a solid contest despite being shorthanded due to the flu, which led Penn to cancel the JV match. The Wildcats won the B-side contest, 50-5, and tied the developmental game, 7-7. 

The Wildcats returned to Wasmer Field on Sunday for a contest with the Hudson Explorers. The match did not turn out to be as competitive.

Sean Whalen opened the match with an early try, followed by a Chris Fedor conversion. Alex Chura then scored his first try of the day on a long breakaway, followed quickly by a try by Aidan Gill. 

Chura soon added two more tries, giving the junior a hat trick for the day. Senior Jimmy Andrews then notched his first try of the season, highlighting his triumphant return to Wasmer Field after suffering an injury late in the football season. 

The score stood at 66-0 Wildcats heading into the break following an impressive Andrew Boldy conversion. 

The Wildcats continued to showcase athleticism and skill in the second half, concluding a great weekend for Saint Ignatius rugby. 

Following the weekend wins, the Wildcats will prepare the next two days before departing for France on Wednesday afternoon.