Friday evening saw four Men's D1 college games, with one of them going down to the wire.
Adrian vs Marian
These two Big Rivers sides were in a tense battle Friday night. Adrian ran out to an early lead. A turnover and long run from Apenisa Sailo started the Bulldogs off and then a nice pass from hooker Max Miller off a two-on-one got wing Sione Mamata right to the line before scrumhalf Jack Stephens picked up and was over. Down 10-0 Marian responded with some snappy ballhandling out to wing Zach White. He made it 10-5.
Adrian came right back with some powerful running and interplay by centers Petelo Vatuvei and Sailo before flanker Matagi Fa'avale got the last pass and charged over. The conversion was good and it was 17-5. Marian ended the half pounding at the Adrian line, got a penalty, tapped and ran, and were ultimately held up to end the half.
Adrian's physicality and pressure on defense made it tough going for Marian, and that pressure finally popped a ball loose in the tackle, the ball was toed ahead, and then flyhalf Quinn Murray snapped up the ball and was in under the posts. Now the Bulldogs were up 22-5. Marian didn't panic and kept up their more methodical phase-by-phase attack. That approach forced a penalty which led to a lineout and the forwards bashing it over through prop Joseph Romero. Adrian was also yellow-carded for infringing during their attempted defensive stand. Tommaso Lorenzetti slotted the conversion and it was 22-12.
Adrian came right back with a try through the forwards, Fa'avale crashing over for his second. Marian opened up their attack a little and tested the edges before finishing it off with the forwards. Hooker Daniel Riecke's try and Lorenzetti's conversion put the Knights within eight with a 27-19 scoreline with 12 minutes to go.
Marian absorbed some Adrian attacking chances for much of the remaining 12 minutes, biding their time. But eventually they didn't have enough time. A penalty and a lineout for the Knights set up a chance for Lorenzetti to ghost through a pretty huge gap in the Adrian defense. He made no mistake, and then converted to make it 27-26. Adrian then kicked off straight past the dead ball line, meaning the game kept going with a scrum at midfield. Adrian infringed after that and Marian then had an attacking lineout in the Adrian 22. There was still time on the clock, but the lineout throw was called not straight. Adrian won the resulting scrum and kicked to touch to end the game.
It was a stirring comeback by Marian but ultimately not quite enough, and they will be ruing a couple of momentum-shifting tries they gave up.
Marian drops to 0-2 in Big Rivers Conference play, although both losses have been close. Adrian goes to 1-0.
