TUCSON, Arizona – Trinity Western put up four tries against No. 9-ranked University of Arizona, but the host Wildcats got the better of the Spartans, beating TWU 49-27 at Sitton Field.
Lynden Duggan dotted down twice, while
Josiah Levale and
Matthew Willemse tallied two tries apiece in TWU's first-ever contest with D1A side Arizona. Willemse added seven points off the boot, with two conversions and a penalty.
The contest was even, 10-10, through 20 minutes, but a Wildcats try in the 23rd minute gave Arizona a lead they would take to the final whistle. TWU trailed 24-15 at halftime, but closed the gap to four points with a Willemse try in the 43rd minute. However, the Wildcasts responded with 25 straight points to seal the win.
Duggan scored in the 79th minute and Willemse converted to round out the scoring.
TWU Scoring
9th –
Lynden Duggan TRY (
Matthew Willemse conversion) (7-7)
20th –
Matthew Willemse PENALTY (10-10)
32nd –
Josiah Levale TRY (15-17)
43rd –
Matthew Willemse TRY (20-24)
79th –
Lynden Duggan TRY (
Matthew Willemse conversion) (27-49)
QUOTABLE
Andrew Evans, TWU Head Coach
"After a long travel day yesterday, it was good to play rugby in the Arizona sunshine. We were warmly welcomed and hosted by the Wildcats here in Tucson.
"We love being tested by top D1A teams and Arizona certainly provided a tough test today. I've been watching them over the past couple of years and Coach Duffy certainly has his program on the rise and fully deserved the win today.
"I commend our team today for playing some very good rugby at times after being stuck in gymnasiums and classrooms to prepare for this tour due to the unusual long freezing temperatures back home. Playing in the heat today was a struggle and in the second half we dropped off of the Wildcats pace. Genaro (Gandolfo) and Fynn (Murphy) led the team well, with Ethan (Jurgeneit) is still sidelined with injury.
"On these tours to the USA, we love to test out our freshman and congratulations to
John Paterson,
Caleb Graham,
Braeden Parker and
Colton Boychuk for their first caps on the 1XV side. They have all worked incredibly hard this year and will be key players for us in the future. Now we look forward to another new D1A opponent in GCU on Tuesday in Phoenix."
NEXT UP
The Spartans will travel to Phoenix to take on No. 21-ranked Grand Canyon University Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. (MT).
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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