(Photo Dennis D Hawk)

The worry was palpable. At halftime of the second leg of the USA v Uruguay World Cup Qualifiers, Uruguay led 13-3. In aggregate, Los Teros were ahead 40-30. A try from Eric Fry pushed the USA closer, but still behind at 13-10 (40-37) with 20 minutes left in the game. Then, with the Eagles pressing, they got a penalty. Mike Petri heard the call for penalty advantage, and had the ball right at his feet when the ref blew his whistle. 

Just like that, the scrumhalf made eye-contact with the ref - yes he was looking - tapped the ball, and took off. The Uruguayans weren't ready, and Petri took off. He outpaced the defenders trying to get back ten meters, and beat the fullback to go in under the posts. The crowd, nd his teammates, went wild. By thinking quickly and taking action, Petri had turned the game into the Eagles' favor. They scored two more tries, both nice to watch, to seal the game, but they got in the plus column with this one.

The try also spawned the quote of the year from captain Todd Clever. At the post-match press conference, while Petri was describing the try and crediting his teammates and support, Clever interrupted. "No Peaches," he said. "That was all you."

Here's a gif of the try. Also a shout-out to photographer Dennis Hawk for getting the money shot above. See link to next award below.

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