SANTA CRUZ, California– The Trinity Western Spartans earned a shutout with a dominating 82-0 performance against the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs Men's Rugby Club Tuesday evening at the UCSC East Lower Field in Santa Cruz, Calf.
The Spartans dominated the contest with 12 tries and led the game 47-0 at halftime.
Scoring for the Spartans were fifth-year fullback
Matthew Willemse (Petermaritzburg, South Africa) with one try and nine conversions for 23 points, fourth-year prop
Tim Zimmer (Fort St. John, B.C.) with three tries and 15 points, fifth-year prop
Ethan Jurgeneit (Bracebridge, Ont.) with two tries for 10 points, second-year fullback
Wesley Willemse (Petermaritzburg, South Africa) with one try and two conversions for nine points, and second-year scrum half
Colton Boychuk (Okotoks, Alta.), second-year centre
Caleb Graham (Cochrane, Alta.), fourth-year scrum half
Brady Howlett (Maple Ridge, B.C.), third-year fullback
Liam Olafsen (Abbotsford, B.C.), and first-year lock
Dallin Westerlund (Auckland, NZ) with a try each and five points each.
UP NEXT
The Spartans will now have a week off before taking on the Western Washington Vikings on the road in Bellingham, Wash. Game time is set for 2:30 p.m. at Harrington Field.
QUOTABLE
Andrew Evans, TWU Head Coach
"Thanks to the Banana Slugs for ensuring our match was played in heavy California rain. Our men were determined to play a solid 80 minutes, and our backs ensured we stayed in the right areas of the pitch for the duration.
Matt and Wes Willemse excelled at tactical kicking, continually driving the Banana Slugs back into their own end. Our forwards continued their stellar play, setting a strong platform from set pieces to score regularly. Defensively, our men worked incredibly hard to stifle the UCSC attack and keeping them off the scoreboard was a great way to end the tour.
Later in March, the Banana Slugs will travel to Langley for a rematch, and we know they will bring their flair to the pitch. We hope to host them as well as they hosted us."
SCORING SUMMARY
5' –
Tim Zimmer (missed convert) 5-0 TWU
9' –
Liam Olafsen (
Matthew Willemse convert made) 12-0 TWU
16' – Wes (
Matthew Willemse convert made) 19 TWU
22' –
Tim Zimmer (
Matthew Willemse convert made) 26-0 TWU
29' –
Tim Zimmer (
Matthew Willemse convert made) 33-0 TWU
34' –
Matthew Willemse (
Matthew Willemse convert made) 40-0 TWU
40' –
Colton Boychuk (
Matthew Willemse convert made) 47-0 TWU
HALF
53' –
Ethan Jurgeneit (
Matthew Willemse convert made) 54-0 TWU
60' –
Dallin Westerlund (
Matthew Willemse convert made) 61-0 TWU
66' –
Brady Howlett (
Matthew Willemse convert made) 68-0 TWU
70' –
Ethan Jurgeneit (
Wesley Willemse convert made) 75-0 TWU
75' –
Caleb Graham (
Wesley Willemse convert made) 82-0 TWU
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, hockey and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as in the NAIA in track and field and cross country and 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 33 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 U 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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