EUGENE, Ore. – Trinity Western flyhalf Keegan Marengo (Edenvale, South Africa) put up an impressive 21 points to help lead the Spartans men's rugby team to a 41-19 win over the University of Oregon Saturday at Riverfront Field. 

Marengo, who was playing in just his second game as a Spartan, scored one try, slotted two penalties and made five conversions, as TWU earned its second win in as many games after beating the University of Washington (36-31) last weekend. 

Erik Niebuhr (Surrey, B.C.), Ben Graci (Edmonton), Caleb Gerth (Langley, B.C.) and Sam Wegert (Langley) also scored tries for TWU. 

The Spartans scored the first two tries of the match, with Niebuhr scoring in the eighth minute and Marengo scoring in the 13th minute. Marengo converted both tries before slotting a penalty in the 39th minute to give TWU a 17-0 lead at halftime.

The Ducks found the try area in the 42nd minute, tallying a converted mark before TWU's Graci responded in the 49th minute. Marengo converted to make it 24-7 for the Spartans. 

Four minutes later, Oregon closed the gap to 10 points with a converted try, but Marengo made a 58th-minute penalty from 40 metres out to push TWU's lead to 27-14.   

The Ducks scored again in the 68th minute, but missed the convert and that would prove to be Oregon's final points of the game, as Gerth scored in the 76th minute and Wegert dotted down in the 78th minute to round out the day's try-scoring. Marengo converted both. 

TWU Scoring
Tries: Niebuhr (1), Marengo (1), Graci (1), Gerth (1), Wegert (1)
Penalties: Marengo (2)
Conversions: Marengo (5)

QUOTABLE
Andrew Evans – TWU Head Coach
"We're still gaining more experience each week and building our chemistry and finding our style of play. It was great that we finished on a bunch of tries today but we definitely still left many more on the field. Overall, our scrum was dominant today, causing Oregon to take multiple penalties. I thought Keegan Marengo was great with his boot today. We were able to score two tries in the last five minutes, which is pleasing to see that we can finish games out by scoring tries. We had defensive composure but there are still areas that we need to tighten up that Oregon was able to expose for three tries. The potential of these men are great. We are largely a group of 18 and 19-year-olds playing against much older men, but the guys are always up for the challenge and I think we won the physical battle today."

NEXT UP
TWU returns to Langley next weekend to host Western Washington University in TWU's first home game since the rugby program was re-launched this past fall. Kick-off is at 6 p.m. at the Langley Events Centre. 

SPARTANS ROSTER
1. Ben Graci – Edmonton, Alta. | Nor'westers AA
2. Scott Bowers – New Westminster, B.C. | Riverside
3. Mackenzie Nordli – Nanaimo, B.C. | Nanaimo 
4. Erik Niebuhr – Surrey, B.C. | Bayside Sharks
5. Nick Halladay – White Rock, B.C.
6. Daniel Clement – Edmonton, Alta. | Edmonton Clansmen 
7. Nate Schroeder – West Kelowna, B.C. | Mount Boucherie Secondary
8. Caleb Gerth – Langley, B.C. | Brookswood 
9. Ethan Kelt – Port Coquitlam, B.C. | United Rugby Club
10. Keegan Marengo – Edenvale, South Africa | Golden Lions
11. Tim Bamgbade – Surrey, B.C.
12. Sam Wegert (C) – Langley, B.C. | R.E. Mountain
13. Ethan Bernardin – Langley, B.C. | R.E. Mountain Secondary
14. Markus Rauch – Abbotsford, B.C. | Robert Bateman Secondary 
15. Khyree Poole – El Cajon, Calif. | OMBAC Rugby

16. J.P. O'Gorman – St. Charles, Miss. | Francis Howell Central
17. Nate Lieuwen – Langley, B.C.
18. Josh Halladay – White Rock, B.C.
19. Brian Carlson – Langley, B.C. | D.W. Poppy 
20. James Aalhus – Langley, B.C. | Langley Rugby Club
21. Jacob Sousa – Langley, B.C. | R.E. Mountain Secondary
22. Ben Adkins – Nairobi Kenya | Rift Valley Academy

About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 11 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) in men's hockey and as an independent team in men's rugby. The men's and women's hockey programs will begin playing in Canada West and U SPORTS in 2020-21. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships and 27 Canada West team championships and two BCIHL championships.

-TW-