Indiana University of Pennsylvania is now 4-0 in the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conference after beating previously undefeated York 29-22 Saturday.

For IUP, this was a big victory as they look to unseat Rowan as conference champs.

Head Coach Tony Chappie said it wasn’t a perfect game - both teams made errors, but his team did enough to win.

“York dominated in the scrums, and even took several of our put-ins,” said Chappie. “They had several tough strong forwards that bashed the ball up around the ruck. We tackled way too high which allowed their big forwards to continue to recycle ball. But when we played our game, which is to set quick rucks, and get the ball to our backs, we were able to create over loads and score.” 

Player of the game for IUP was center Jim Maddas, who made several line breaks, scored a crucial try, and defended well.

Up front, the IUP forwards held on, but struggled a little against the bigger York team. In the backs, flyhallf and co-captain Tim Sowa, who moved from flanker this year. He has been building his resume as a flyhallf and ran a solid offensive effort this weekend.

For Chappie, this was a big step forward in part because the coaching group, including Seth Irwin and Dr. Laurence Bouma, have been working hard to improve the culture within the team.

They’ve changed the team nickname to be the same as the other school teams - the Crimson Hawks. They secured alumni support for new kit and other expenses, and are looking to behave more as a serious rugby team.

That change has shown on the field. Now they look ahead to what could well be a playoff rematch with York, and a chance to take on still-unbeaten Rosa.

“The guys now have an understanding of what we want to be and what we want to achieve,” said Chappie.