SACRAMENTO, CA. - A fiercely contested battle saw the Men's Eagles overcome long-time rival Canada 29-10 in the 2018 Americas Rugby Championship to keep the CANAM trophy. A strong start by the United States quickly became an intense defensive stand as the squad fought through the first half to keep Canada out of the try zone. Only giving up one score to their northern neighbor, the Eagles dominated play in the second half to walk away with their second win of the tournament.
"We never want to take credit away from Canada for the effort they put in, so well done to our boys,' said Head Coach Gary Gold.
Today's match also served as a homecoming for Captain Blaine Scully who notes how impactful it is to win, representing the United States in his hometown.
"Anytime you're representing your country, it's a huge honor,' said Scully. "For me personally, to be able to do that in front of the people I care about most, it makes it a little extra special.'
The electricity of the match was evident from the very start as back-to-back scrums resulted with Nick Civetta crossing the line for what should have been a try in the first few minutes. Though he did not dot down, Nate Augspurger came in several minutes later to officially put the Eagles on the board first, 7-0.
USA's strong early showing continued when Mike Te'o, took the ball on a high kick from Canada and charged past their 22-meter line. Ryan Matyas finished the job by breaking open on the left flank and increasing the lead, 14-0.
While the offense was clicking and energy was driving the Eagles forward, Canada began to shift the momentum considerably in their favor. With an intense attack in U.S. territory, less than 5-meters from the try zone, Canada drove in their first score with Patrick Parfrey, 14-7. The remainder of the half would force the United States to channel their defensive strength as the Canadians kept the squad continuously working on their own side of the pitch.
As time dwindled down, the Eagles were called for a high-tackle on Sears-Duru and awarded their rival another opportunity for more points. But, Seller's penalty kick missed the posts and the United States held on to their 7-point lead.
The Eagles made it inside Canada's 22 within moments once play resumed but were held up in goal and unable to recover.
A missed penalty kick by Will Hooley and a trip p to the sin bin on a high tackle for Cam Dolan appeared to have the Eagles in trouble again.
Head Coach Gary Gold acknowledges heightened challenges for the Eagles playing a man down.
"The game is tough enough, you can't really play with 14 men,' said Head Coach Gary Gold, "It's something we will always look at and address as keeping 15 men on the park is a critical factor to a team being successful.'
A perfect kick earned the Eagles a spot inside Canadian territory next, with Mike Te'o picking it up and driving it closer to the line. With clear space, the Eagles tossed the ball to Ryan Matyas who made no mistake and dotted down for his second try and the win, 29-10.
Finishing the match in spectacular fashion, Matyas took a seat on the bench calling upon Josh Whippy who spent the final two minutes earning his first official cap.
The United States moves to 2-0 on the season and continues their title defense in the Americas Rugby Championship. Next week will bring another competitive matchup against a significantly improved Chilean squad in the Eagles' final home match of the tournament at Titan Stadium.
Tickets for the match are on sale now for only $30 and available for purchase by visiting USArugby.org/tickets. The contest will also be broadcast LIVE on The Rugby Channel with updates available by following @USArugby on Twitter.
