The University of Wyoming’s Men’s Rugby Team took on the New Mexico Lobos on Oct. 28 at 10:00 a.m. at East Frat Mall, Laramie, Wyoming during homecoming weekend.
The third annual Cody Anderson Memorial Match was played in honor of former UW rugby player, UW Men’s Coach and UW’s Women Coach, and UWPD Officer, Cody Allen Anderson who passed away in April of 2015.
Wyoming was able to obtain the victory over New Mexico in the Elite D1A Division of USARUGBY (highest level of competition in the country) with a score of 26-36.
“The match was hard fought with both sides running hard on offense and tackling tenaciously, resulting in both sides taking and holding the lead for stretches of the game,” said David Finnoff, the head coach of the University of Wyoming Men’s Rugby Team.
The duration of the match was battled relatively evenly with both teams taking advantage of their opponent’s turnovers.
Wyoming fought offensively with well-placed tactical kicks from Colton Wostenberg (Laramie, Wyoming), strong ball carrying from Dusty (Byron) Klein (Westminster, CO) and Jeff Kohler (Winfield, Illinois) and striking counter attacks from Rowan Hawk (Dubois, WY).
The key moments in the game were credited to the strong defensive play by Wyoming led by the determined Terre Hellander (Lebanon, NJ) holding New Mexico to limited scoring opportunities.
Wyoming’s disciplined defense allowed them to capitalize on their scoring opportunities late in the game.
“There are aspects of our game that need to be improved and we have been sharpening them all season.” Said Sutton Willis, president of the rugby club.
The team’s victory over the New Mexico Lobos can be credited by the outstanding performances from Dusty Klein, Rowan Hawk, and Jeff Koehler.
“Knowing that our offense is penetrating and our defense is disciplined we can look forward to focusing on what Wyoming does best, hit hard,” Willis says after being asked about his teams following games in the season.
The University of Wyoming’s Men’s Rugby Team has a tough match this upcoming weekend at 1:00 pm on Saturday, Nov. 4 at East Frat Mall, Laramie, Wyoming against 10th ranked Utah State.
Come out and support your UW Men’s Rugby team this upcoming weekend.
