VICTORIA – Trinity Western knocked off the No. 2-ranked Victoria Vikes 34-27 Saturday afternoon at Wallace Field, making history as the victory marks the Spartans first-ever road win over Victoria and TWU's first-ever win over the Vikes in an 80-minute Coastal Cup contest. 

While the win remains historic, the seven-point victory leaves the Spartans one point shy of earning a spot in this year's Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship. With the Vikes slotting a 78th minute penalty to close the gap to seven points, Victoria secured their spot in the national tournament in Ottawa as B.C.'s second team, behind UBC. 

Ultimately, the Vikes earned two points in the qualification standings from Saturday's contest, including the bonus point for losing by seven points or fewer and the bonus point for scoring four or more tries. TWU grabbed the full five points with a bonus-point win, having scored six tries. The Spartans entered the contest trailing Victoria by four points in the CUMRC qualification table, with the top two teams amongst TWU, UVIC and UBC earning a trip to nationals. TWU finishes with eight points in the standings, while the Vikes have nine. 

TWU's Ethan Jurgeneit (Bracebridge, Ont.) and Lynden Duggan (Edinburgh, Scotland) had two tries each, while Genaro Gandolfo (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and Tim Zimmer (Fort St. John, B.C.) dotted down once each as the Spartans put up six tries to the Vikes four tries. 

With the Spartans trailing 17-15 at halftime, a try from Duggan gave TWU its first lead of the game, 20-17, in the 44th minute. After Victoria went ahead with a try in the 57th minute, Jurgeneit tallied his second of the afternoon to give the Spartans to a 27-24 advantage in the 64th minute.  Zimmer then put TWU up by 10 points in the 70th minute, 34-24, but a late penalty kick from the Vikes gave them just enough to book a ticket to Ottawa, where this year's championship will be held. 

The Spartans previous win over Victoria came in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship (CUMRC), when TWU beat the Vikes 23-22. 

TWU Scoring
3 – Ethan Jurgeneit TRY (5-0)
22 – Lynden Duggan TRY (10-12)
40' – Genaro Gandolfo TRY (15-17)
44' – Lynden Duggan TRY (20-17)
64' – Ethan Jurgeneit TRY, Matthew Willemse CONVERSION (27-24)
70' – Tim Zimmer TRY, Matthew Willemse CONVERSION (34-24)

QUOTABLE
Andrew Evans, TWU Head Coach
"We beat UVIC today. I'm incredibly proud of the entire men's program – the Spartans who battled today, and the ones at home who helped prepare us for today's win. Our leaders today guided us to the win and showed the class of our team. 

"Unfortunately, we were a single point off from qualifying for nationals, and it is a very tough pill to swallow. Knowing that we have the ability to beat teams who win nationals and then not to go, is tough. Knowing we are a top team in Canada and not going is tough. But we learn the most in tough challenges, and we will continue to grind in the 'tough'. UVIC fully deserves to head to nationals and they will have a great tournament. 

"We head back to Sparta to get back to training Monday evening, because there are more tough challenges to prepare for. I encourage those reading this to reach out and lift up the men in our program. We need our family around in the tough."

NEXT UP
TWU's 2nd XVs will play Western Washington Nov. 2 at the Willoughby Community Park Stadium in Langley, B.C. The 1st XVs next match will by Jan. 25 when the Spartans will host USA collegiate powerhouse Saint Mary's at the Willoughby Community Park Stadium.

About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby and women's and men's disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 34 Canada West team championships.

About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in CIS sports. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.  

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