Aspetuck defeated Xavier 26-12 in a big win for the Connecticut team.
After a couple of tough results in which they were missing some key leaders, Aspetuck bounced back with a strong performance.
Three players were missing for both Berks and Woodlands (both losses), including dynamic flyhalf Pearson Hill, but with those players back, and the newer players learning, Aspetuck produced a good performance.
Xavier, for their part, weren't so happy.
“We let outside factors get inside our head,” said front rower Christopher O’Halloran-Gannon.
“We were physical, but we got frustrated too easily,” added front rower Anthony Dabao.
The frustration came down to how Xavier adjusted to a the referee. This was a high-penalty game and getting into a flow was tough for both teams. As Head Coach Rex Norris pointed out, unhappiness with how the game was officiated led to panic, "and panic led to a lack of composure. That lack of composure led to pressure which turned into points for them. Part of this is our own doing. We will come up against situations like this again and we have to learn how to deal with it better.”
