Christendom Defeats Franciscan in Thrilling Shield Rugby Match

Christendom Rugby is back. The Crusaders returned to the pitch on Saturday to take on Franciscan University of Steubenville in the annual Shield Match, defeating the Barons in a 37-34 thriller. Meanwhile, the men's soccer team picked up their first three wins of the season, including in a rousing home opener on Tuesday, the women's soccer team remained undefeated with a crushing defeat of Penn State Beaver, and the women's volleyball team went 1-2 in the USCAA Penn State Beaver Tournament.

Coming off a successful 2022-23 season, including an undefeated rugby 15s regular season and a trip to the Collegiate Rugby Championship in the spring, the men's rugby team entered Saturday ranked #8 in the nation by National Collegiate Rugby. The Shield Match served as the team's preseason game, but nothing about the game felt like an exhibition match. From the start, both teams went on the attack, with Franciscan taking an early 5-0 lead before Christendom tied it minutes later on a try from Andrew Mead. Both teams traded blows the rest of the first half, with John Kennedy scoring twice and Chris Santschi scoring as well. At the end of the first half, Christendom held the slightest of leads, 22-20.

At the start of the second half, Christendom began to pull away, with Hugh Wingate, Frank Woltering, and Mead scoring again to bring the score to 37-20. With ten minutes left in the game, Franciscan began to push back, however, scoring a try to bring the score to 37-27. With five minutes left, they scored again to bring the score to 37-34. Holding onto the razor-thin lead, Christendom's defense fought back Franciscan's surging offense, ultimately hanging on for a 37-34 Shield Match victory.