LANGLEY, B.C. – The Trinity Western men's rugby team lost 76-10 in a battle with the No. 13-ranked Central Washington Wildcats Friday at the Langley Events Centre | Northwest Field. 

A team perennially ranked amongst the top 15 rugby programs in the United States, the Wildcats earned a convincing victory over a young Spartans side that was hosting a D1A team for the first time in school history. 

The Wildcats scored on their very first foray up the field, but the Spartans responded with Keegan Marengo (Edenvale, South Africa) slotting a penalty from in front of the posts to bring the Spartans within two points, 5-3, in the early stages. 

However just a few minutes later, CWU put a converted try on the scoreboard to launch an offensive barrage that saw the Wildcats take a 31-3 lead into halftime. 

The Spartans earned a penalty try midway through the second half, but CWU continued to carry the play, rolling to a 66-point win. 

The loss comes on the heels of three straight wins for TWU, as the Spartans record drops to 4-2 against university competition this year. TWU's only other loss this year came against D1A No. 4-ranked Saint Mary's College. 

CWU is now 4-0 this year.

The Spartans celebrated Black History Month throughout the evening Friday night. Go to www.gospartans.ca. to see a video featuring several TWU students and student-athletes, as they reflect on what Black History Month means to them. 

TWU Scoring
Tries: Penalty Try (1)
Penalty: Marengo (1)

QUOTABLE
Andrew Evans – TWU Head Coach
"We take humility out of a game like that. We refer back to what the Bible says – God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. We hope that we can move forward in grace and realize that we have a lot of room to grow as rugby players and as men. I'm thankful that our team is in the locker room all supporting each other but we're feeling really horrible about that defeat. But we have confidence we'll improve and we have hope for tomorrow. They're not a group of men without passion and dreams and vision. They know they have a ton of potential and I have no doubt they'll get there, but tonight was a humbling experience overall."

NEXT UP
TWU will now prepare for the Western Canadian University 7s Championships, which will be hosted at UBC's Thunderbird Stadium Mar. 6. The Spartans and Wildcats will next meet in the back half of their home-and-home Mar. 28 in Ellensburg, Wash. 

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

16. JP O'Gorman – St. Charles, Miss. | Francis Howell Central
17. Nate Lieuwen – Langley, B.C.
18. Jordan Kirk – Surrey, B.C. | Pacific Academy 
19. Brian Carlson – Langley, B.C. | D.W. Poppy
20. Ben Adkins – Nairobi, Kenya | Rift Valley Academy
21. Jacob Sousa – Langley, B.C. | R.E. Mountain Secondary
22. Tim Bamgbade – Surrey, B.C.
23. Garrett Shepherd – El Dorado Hills, Calif. | Lindenwood University

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-