Walsh Holds Off Belmont Abbey in the Rain
Walsh Holds Off Belmont Abbey in the Rain
Walsh University logged the program’s first ever conference win Friday night, beating Belmont Abbey 25-10 on a rainy night in North Canton, Ohio.
The game was a lot closer than the score indicates. Belmont caused Walsh all sorts of trouble in the breakdowns and threatened constantly to overhaul the Cavaliers.
Walsh opened the game hoping to emulate their non-conference home opener and kick deep, assert defensive pressure, and create a try out of that pressure.
They came close, but Belmont Abbey was quick to get behind the ball and quickly forced a holding-on penalty. The Crusaders quickly found they had the ability to cut through in the backline, and had the Cavaliers scrambling. But the final pass went to ground in the wet weather, and that would be part of the story of the game.
The first half was marked by Walsh trying to blast Belmont off the ball in the rucks, and Belmont being a little too savvy, and getting penalties as a result.
Finally Belmont Abbey did get a penalty kick over for a 3-0 lead, only for Walsh to equalize.
After that, the Cavaliers started to get some momentum. A turnover and some snappy running got them into the Belmont Abbey 22, and eventually from a scrum captain and scrumhalf Remy Thomson sniped week, was barely dragged down, and No. 8 Marcus Jansen van Vurren followed up to take it over.
That made it 8-3 and not long after it was 13-3. Thomson toed a dropped ball ahead and chased it. Flyhalf Harrison Tu’isila covered the kick but Thomson did an outstanding job of chasing and making a tackle. Walsh’s support swarmed in and when Belmont Abbey was penalized for no tackler release. Walsh took the lineout and mauled it over.
Down 13-3, Belmont Abbey was able to get some go-forward. With lock Luke Rochon continuously stealing lineout ball, and with centers Kenneth Byrd and Marcos Angjelinic finding some space to run, the Crusaders were able to get close. Byrd almost scored, but Walsh held them out. The Cavaliers were penalized, however, and finally Belmont Abbey was able to bash it over. With Tu’isila slotted the difficult conversion, it was now 13-10 with time windown down in the first half.
But there was time, and Walsh put together perhaps their most polished work in the backs. Some powerful running from flanker Luke Shull Walsh got into the Belmont Abbey 22 and then spun it wide to go over in the corner.
Halftime and Walsh led 18-10.
The second half was a ferocious battle between these two teams. Both made mistakes at key moments. McDonald effected two 50-22s, but both times Walsh muffed the lineout. Belmont Abbey was able to pressure Walsh with kicks, but Walsh was able to get out of it.
Back and forth the game went and time seemed to be running out for Belmont Abbey. And then Walsh center Asher Hannon chased down a kick that was rolling toward the dead ball line. Hannon dove on the ball and touched it down, and later insisted he got the try. But the officiating crew was unsighted and couldn’t be sure of the try. That score would have put Walsh in a commanding position. Instead Belmont Abbey kept coming, hoping to get at least a penalty so they could find that try to win it.
Instead, as time wound down, Walsh ran a nifty backline move and Hannon had his try. Jansen van Vurren had an excellent game at No. 8 and Hannon was good at center. The tight five worked hard in set piece throughout.
That sealed it at 25-10, but really it was 18-10 for about 40 minutes, and with somewhat better execution with ball in hand the Crusaders might have hauled Walsh in.
"I was happy with how we defended, especially when Belmont was close," said Walsh Coach Cornel Britz. "We gave up too many penalties in the ruck but we felt we could counter-ruck them. In the end, it was a good win against a tough team."
For Belmont Abbey, Byrd and Angjelinic were dangerous, Rochon was excellent in the lineout, and scrumhalf Will Rimes was very active and tenacious. Walsh's captain Thomson and his halfback partner McDonald were solid as usual.
