FORT DODGE, IA – The Principia Thunder Chickens headed up to Iowa Central Community College on Saturday for their first conference match and their debut in NCR Division I. It was a hard-fought game by both sides, and though the Tritons kept things close, Principia never lost the lead the whole game en route to a 25-18 win.
In the first half, the Thunder Chickens were playing with the wind, allowing them the take advantage of their kicking game to move the ball downfield.
Damir Conci and
Bradley Mayekiso both kicked well into space which helped lead to multiple tries.
Andy Naringo got Principia on the board first on a nice run breaking through the Iowa Central line. Later in the first half,
Emmanuel Mazhuhwa scored in the corner as the ball was moved back to the forwards coming off a maul. A late penalty conversion by each team made the halftime score 13-3 in favor of the Thunder Chickens.
Principia got a bit more stuck in their own end in the second half going against the wind. Iowa Central got an early try and penalty conversion to cut the score to 13-11 early the half, but the Thunder Chickens defense stiffened up from then on.
Both of Principia's successive tries came off turnovers.
Tobin Blair, who had his best all-around game as a Thunder Chicken, scored the third try in the corner off some nice hands from Conci, Naringo, and
Kudzai Chiwara to make it 18-11.
The fourth try came late in the game when Conci picked up a loose ball off a strong tackle and ran straight through the Tritons defense for the score. Conci then made the conversion kick to make it 25-11. This was an important insurance score that proved vital when Iowa Central scored on the final play of the match to make the 25-18 final score a one possession difference. This was also big for the conference standings because a team gets a bonus point any time they score four or more tries.
On top of those who have already been mentioned, a couple other standout players were:
Ntando Sibanda, who scrummed and carried the ball very strongly, and
Francisco Alessio, who stole the ball and was very good in the floor.
Principia's frontal defense was strong and their scrums were dominant all game. The team's tackling was excellent as they put their bodies on the line to keep the Tritons from breaking through. The Thunder Chickens will look to build on this performance heading into their next conference match against an even stronger opponent.
Up Next: With Principia's rugby field currently under construction, the team will host their home game on Saturday vs Marian University on the Royal Ramblers rugby field at the Saint Charles Soccer Complex. Kick off will be at 11:00 am, and the game will be streamed on the Principia Athletics Facebook page. Come out and support the Thunder Chickens if you're in the area!
Read the game recap on the
Goff Rugby Report
Hear comments from Coach Kellerman after the match:
