Mount St. Mary's came back from a 37-16 deficit to defeat Southern Virginia Friday evening in Emmitsburg.
Southern Virginia exploded for a big lead with about 15 minutes left, but the Mount finished the strong.
Despite the comeback, SVU Head Coach Paul Lasike saw plenty of positives.
"Much improved from our last game," said Lasike, referring to the Knights' September 4 loss to Queens to the tune of 45-3.. "Super happy with the response from our players from our first match. Gutted we couldn't finish the job but proud of our boys and their intent last night."
Southern Virginia push the Mount. Photo Pat Moroney.
For for Mount St. Mary's, they had been struggling to convert pressure into tries, and then the tries started to flow. DOR Jay Myles had chalked that up to youth and inexperience.
This game, said Myles, was "a great opportunity for us to continue to find our footing. SVU is extremely well coached and is certainly on the uptick. We have a tremendous amount of new players and we are still trying to find continuity and in our systems and our play."
Mount's offense finally started to click late in the game. Photo Pat Moroney.
SVU got tries from Calvin Wilson, Jayston Koi, Hank Svedin, and Kavika Bringhurst for a 22-16 lead at halftime.
A Tevita Vaea penalty goal kept the scoreboard ticking over, and then tries from Milemoti Pulotu and Jayden Filipe to seemingly take command.
But with Saige Calvo and Chase Brown making plays Mount set up Benjamin Quiroga for two tries, and then with the score 37-37 Quiroga punished SVU penalties with two kicks for goal, securing the 43-37 win and netting Quiroga 28 points on the day.
Both coaches came out of the match talking about their team's potential. We have so much potential it is really exciting.
As a 17-year-old Spencer Huntley required a waiver to play for the USA U20s, an indication of how he was rated in the USA age-grade pathway. He got that waiver and impressed for the USA U20s, and then moved up to the USA U23s. He led the San Diego Mustangs to a national HS Club championship in 2024.
He also played in the SoCal single-school league for Cathedral Catholic.
Hope Rogers began playing rugby at age 16 in high school and continued to compete during her time at Penn State University. There, she won four National Championships, was crowned MVP on two occasions, was named to the USA Under-20s and earned Collegiate All-American honors for four years. Rogers was also an impressive discus player during her senior year in high school where she broke a school record and won Gold at Districts for the sport.
Nathan Caruso is a steady, smart fly half who drives Villanova’s attack with calm decision-making and a reliable skill set. He’s been central to Villanova’s success in the MARC, controlling tempo and keeping the team organized under pressure.
Tonga Kofe is one of the most promising young front-rowers to come out of the American rugby pathway. A powerful and hard-working prop, he rose through the Utah Warriors development system.
Ray Santiago has emerged as one of RPI’s most influential forwards, a player whose size, athleticism, and rapid development make him stand out in the Division II landscape.
Christy Ringgenberg is one of the most accomplished and versatile players to wear the USA jersey, earning recognition on the Goff Rugby Report All-Time American list for her impact on both 15s and 7s.
