Ann Arbor, MI – Penn State Men's Rugby team traveled to Ann Arbor, MI for the 3rd and final stop on the Big Ten Sevens Series this past weekend. With Indiana having all but secured the number 1 spot, the Lions were duking it out with the Ohio State Buckeyes for 2nd place.
In another weekend of freezing temperatures that team opened with an impressive win over a strong Wisconsin team, 32-0. Second match in pool play saw the team facing Michigan State, Dalton Musselman had a strong performance, but the tries were spread out throughout the group, 40-5 was the final score and strong overall team performance. Final match in pool play was with Ohio State, after jumping out to a 19-5 first half lead the Lions let off the gas and allowed OSU to close the gap and eventually tie the game 19-19 with very little time left on the clock. Jesse Capriotti subbed back into the match and made an immediate impact, gathering a quick tap penalty and sprinting 40m to seal the win.
With the bracket setup it was on to the semi-finals against hosts Michigan. The last meeting between the two teams had frustrated the Lions when Michigan chose an unconventional sevens tactic and kept the ball very close to the breakdown on attack. This time however, was a much more open affair. The Lions would go on to win 22-7 and set yet another crash course for Indiana in the final.
Where the last two weeks have been decided by 1 try between the two teams, this weekend that was not to be the case. Errors plagued the Lions and Indiana pounced on those mistakes, jumping out to a big lead. Penn State attempted to claw back but it was just not their day. Indiana would go on to win 26-5 and secure the Big Ten Championship.
The team will travel to Ohio State this Saturday, 23 April for the final 7s tournament before the National Championship in Kennesaw, GA on 14-15 May.
