This past weekend saw the Penn State Men’s A and B sides travel to Wheeling West Virginia to face varsity program Wheeling Jesuit University. With their home field under renovation, the match was played in the picturesque mountain surroundings of Oglebay Park and Resort. Would it not have been for the chilly temps, or the constant rain that varied from a drizzle to a driving downpour, this would have been an absolutely spectacular venue.
The day, and the natural grass pitch, set this clash up from the beginning to be a messy forwards dominated affair, and that’s exactly what ensued. Penn State opened up the scoring with a try by Captain Dan Metcalf in the 7th minute, followed closely by a spectacular try by freshmen outside center Joe Kelly in the 13th minute. Unfortunately, the rainy weather, a few mistakes, and a very strong, sizeable, and determined WJU Pack battled gamely and slowed the Penn State attack from there, allowing Wheeling Jesuit to touch down a try of their own in the 22nd minute as well as a penalty to go into halftime with the score 17-10 in favor of Penn State.
The second half saw very little scoring as the rain continued to make conditions worse. Wheeling Jesuit was able to touch down a try and conversion to knot the score at 17-17. From there on both teams used their forward packs extensively, allowing for very few opportunities for the backs. Utilizing excellent kicking, defense, and ball possession, Penn State touched down what would be the deciding try in the 60th minute bringing the score to 24-17. Freshman flanker Malcolm May was awarded the Man of the Match for his strong, consistent defensive performance.
The second game of the day followed much the same suit as the first with an increasingly sloppy field, and a game dominated by the forwards. The Penn State defense was key, holding the Wheeling Jesuit side to only five points for the game. Penn State’s attack was able to exploit some mismatches and finish key breaks to bring the final score of the game to 34-5 Penn State with freshman lock Stephen Reilly earning the Man of the Match honors.
Penn State 24 – Wheeling Jesuit 17
Match kick off: Saturday 19-10-2013 @ 15:00
Match duration: 40 minutes per half
1st half actual time played: 43 minutes
2nd half actual time played: 46 minutes
Total time played: 89 minutes
Penn State Team: (1) Free (2) Bashara (3) Hellman (4) Tupper (5) Metcalf (6) Mahon (7) May (8) Herbert (9) Petri (10) Callaghan (11) Eife (12) Mariani (13) Kelly (14) LaPaille (15) Sweeney (16) Backus (17) Corrado (18) Janssen (19) Voigt (20) Baker (21) Klotz (22) Defalco (23) Larson
First Half
Penn State:
Try: Metcalf (5) – 7m
Try: Kelly (13) – 13m
Try: Bashara (2) – 39m
Conversion: Herbert (8)
Wheeling Jesuit:
Try: (5) – 22m
Conversion: (13)
Penalty: (13) – 27m
Second Half
Penn State:
Try: Hellman (3) – 30m
Conversion: Herbert (8)
Wheeling Jesuit:
Try: (10) – 3m
Conversion: (13)
