The Loyola rugby team lost to Tulane at the Lavin-Bernick Center quad last Saturday in a 25-0 match.
Loyola stepped up their defense, but it was not enough.
“No excuses, we lost 25-0,” said Loyola rugby coach Sam Brock. “Our endurance is strong and we’re hitting well. We’re just young. We have a team of freshmen against juniors and seniors. We’ll see them again.”
It was music business freshman Lionel Wilson’s first rugby game after joining the team the day before. Wilson collided with a Tulane player and sent him flying. Angered, the player confronted Wilson, and both teams separated their players before it could escalate.
“The guy came at him, but Lionel didn’t throw any punches. It was a heated match,” Brock said.
“I just tackled him. He was mad and got in my face,” Wilson said.
Robert Nessler, general business studies freshman, stopped another Tulane player from advancing and got ejected from the game for illegal high tackles.
“It was an excessive penalty to call. I’m proud of him for the hits he was making,” Brock said.
Along with allegations of bad calls from the referee were complaints of dirty plays.
“Tulane plays dirty. Since my freshman year, they’ve been playing like that. It really gets bad when the referee doesn’t call any penalties,” said philosophy junior Kwame Juakali.
Political science sophomore Mike Donovan’s face sustained many cuts, which appeared to come from fingernails, but he refused to complain.
“Tulane’s soft,” he said.
Team captain and finance senior Alex Weed declined to comment on the referee or the alleged fouls.
“We have a lot to work on. We missed calls. It’s a lack of experience, really. Tulane just took advantage of it,” he said.
Loyola’s players may have lost the game but they remain optimistic.
“We may not win every game but we’ll never lose a party,” said management sophomore Jayson Webster.
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