Photo courtesy of Kutztown Rugby...Hyde Graduate josh Williamson scores a big wet one! Great work Josh!
KU vs Temple Postmatch Report
In 2005, the Temple University Rugby Club , pulled
off one of the most talked about upsets in recent memory, when they defeated
Delaware University in the semi-final round of the EPRU playoffs. On Saturday
afternoon, they traveled to Luckenbill Ave. with the same intentions. Temple
also had added incentive for a repeat performance, considering they lost to
Kutztown in the finals of their Cinderella season.
The field had just absorbed sixteen hours
of constant rain. The teams warmed-up under heavy cloud cover and dark gray
skies. The chilling wind was whistling across the field at forty miles per
hour. It was a day, considering the playing conditions, that screamed of an
upset.
The Golden Bears looked confident as they
strode into position for the kick-off reception. Dan Dahony , an accomplished
referee , dropped his hand at two o'clock sharp, and Kutztown was hauling in
the bread of heaven. Three minutes later, Golden Bear fullback, Ewan Maisey
was striking the center of the line at full pace. He was twenty five yards
from the goal line, when he side stepped the lone defender in front of the
post and dotted down for the first score of the match. He converted the try
and the Bears were on the board early. KU 7 Temple 0 . For the next twenty
five minutes , Temple dug in and played defense like a bunch of junk yard
dogs. They also mounted several offensive charges but were denied by the
Kutztown defense.The contest seesawed back and forth until the twenty seven
minute mark, when Marco Barnard made a break at midfield. He off loaded to a
streaking Ewan Maisey , who in turn dished off to Jim Fitzgerald on the wing.
Fitzy cruised into the corner of the end zone for five more points. KU 12
Temple 0 . The Kutztown forwards were working hard to move the wet ball
between the twenty - two meter lines. They rushed straight at the Owl
defenders and recycled the ball meticulously through the mud. There was a
Golden Bear scrum at about twenty yards from the goal line , when Kutztown #
8 Jay Korenyi and scrumhalf Josh Keys attacked the blind side. The Owl
defense scurried to recover, and when they pressured Josh Keys, he passed to
winger Jim Fitzgerald , who was coming down the sideline in support. Fitzy put
it down in the corner once again, and with ten minutes left in the first half,
Kutztown was out in front of Temple, 17 - 0 .
Kutztown had received the kick-off and positioned
themselves in an offensive lineout, thirty yards from Temple's final stripe.
The Bears won their lineout and ran a rehearsed phase with a planned decoy,
that resulted in the Owls running right , when all of a sudden the ball
reversed direction to the left and was passed to a freight train by the name
of Ewan Maisey, who parked it directly under the post. Ewan calmly converted
his own try and the Bears appeared to be in command at KU 24 Temple 0 .
With two minutes left in the first stanza, Marco Barnard kicked a high up-and
under that he was racing to catch on his own.The ball was bouncing toward the
goal line when Ewan Maisey came out of nowhere, to fall on the ball and slide
over the stripe for his third try of the first half. KU 29 Temple 0 .
The Golden Bears took the half time break
and calmly reviewed their game plan for the remainder of the match. The Bears
spent the early part of the second half pounding on the Owls goal line. It was
apparent that the Kutztown forwards were dominating their counter parts from
Temple , when Josh Williamson, ten yards away and running at full speed, took
an off load from scrumhalf Josh Keys. Mr. Williamson was never challenged by
the Temple defenders and he was impressive , as he was on the receiving end of
the most dynamic try of the day. KU 34 Temple 0 . At the fifty minute
mark, Kutztown won a ruck, eight yards in front of the Temple goal line.
Scrumhalf Josh Keys fed the backline , the ball zipped across the field and
like so many times before, Mike McNallen was touching down in the corner. KU
39 Temple 0
The Golden Bears were now a permanent fixture in
the red zone , when at the sixty minute mark, there was a mirror image try of
the previous one , except this time Mike McNallen dotted down under the post.
Ewan Maisey was able to use the wind for the conversion and the score line
read KU 46 Temple 0 . Within five minutes , the Bears were on the run
again. They blocked a Temple kick in the red zone and freshman reserve
lock Greg Brooks bounced on the rolling ball, for a try. KU 51 Temple 0 .
The match was in it's final moments when Mike McNallen broke a
tackle to race down the side line, kick ahead and run his own kick down with a
spectacular diving try to notch the victory at KU 56 Temple 0 .
Next Sunday, Kutztown will play at
Ursinus College, for the EPRU Championship. The kick-off is at 12:30PM and
the opponent is the University of Delaware.
RUN
WITH THE BEARS
Doc
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© 2006 Washington Rugby Football Club | 
