GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The Principia Thunder Chickens took a long trip north to Michigan this past weekend to face Aquinas College and wrap up regular season conference play. Principia needed a win to clinch the top seed in the upcoming Big Rivers Tournament, and they took care of business with a convincing 26-7 victory over the Saints.
The game was played in tough weather conditions with heavy winds and periodic pouring rain. Despite the weather, Principia's lineout and maul functioned very well, which provided them with a strong platform to play from.
Luigi Furlan made great decisions calling the lineouts, while
Ntando Sibanda did well taking over line out throwing duties from
Charles Luhanga, who was dealing with an illness.
The Thunder Chickens' greatest strength in the game was their impressive defensive play which did not allow Aquinas' attack to make much headway. The Saints' only score came off a dropped kickoff by Principia which gave the hosts the ball right near the try zone.
Principia scored two tries in each half. The first try came midway through the first half when they replicated their game-winning try against Marian with
Francisco Alessio carrying the ball after a lineout, and the forwards overpowering the defense by pushing the maul all the way into the try zone. Their second try came right before halftime when
Tobias Duque cut back across the middle and made an explosive run through the line, weaving between defenders and passing off to
Tinashe Dobbie near the goal line for Dobbie's first collegiate try.
The Thunder Chickens' third try came early in the second half when they advanced the ball deep downfield and passed the ball down the line with
Emmanuel Atiko scoring in the corner. Then with about 15 minutes to play,
Andy Naringo broke through the line with a powerful run and offloaded as he was going down to
Ntando Sibanda who dove into the zone for the final try.
Damir Conci converted two of his three kicks, and
Bradley Mayekiso made the final conversion of the day.
Principia has been consistent in their scoring in their three conference matches with four tries in each one to earn the four try bonus point in the standings. In NCR's latest Division I coaches poll, the Thunder Chickens have moved up from #13 into a tie for #10.
Up Next: Principia's 3-0 conference record means they earn a bye through the quarterfinal round of the Big Rivers Tournament and will host their semifinal match at Lindenwood University in St. Charles at 7:00 pm on October 28th.
