By Arantxa Taberneiro
Social Media Coordinator & Sports Writer
Wingate rugby defeated Virginia Tech 33-12 on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Irwin Belk Stadium in Wingate, N.C., securing the Bulldogs’ second victory of the season.
The player Kurai Young scored the first try of the match after taking an inside pass from Diego
Mardones and slipping past Virginia Tech’s defense, according to freshman Gonzalo “Chalo”
Larran. In the first half, Santino Degano and Everette Boyd scored tries allowing Wingate to lead 21-0 at halftime.
Sirrjustus Selph and Larran scored tries in the second half, while Freshman Haydn Butcher completed four out of his five conversion attempts. Virginia Tech was able to score two tries in the second half, though Wingate won the match.
The Hokies fell to the strong defense of the Bulldogs, which, as Wingate sophomore Agustin Correa explained, is one of the team’s strengths and an important part of its style of play.
“Our coach focuses our style of play on defense, forcing the opponent to make mistakes through the aggressiveness of our defense,” Correa said.
Correa also highlighted the performance of “Chalo” Larran, describing him as a player who fulfilled his role and more. In his role as a lock, Larran is responsible for delivering pushing power in scrums and battling for the ball during lineouts, the sideline throw-ins in rugby. In the match against Virginia Tech, however, he went over and above his duties according to teammate Agustin Correa’s praise of his defensive role and support in scoring.
“He was in charge of doing what we call the ‘dirty work,’” Correa said. “He tackled, defended the lineout, scored a try and did a good job in the scrum. He fulfilled the role he had and more.”
Despite facing a more established program and two-time Division I-AA national champion, them Bulldogs knew how to take advantage of different situations to keep the game in their favor from the beginning.
“It was very early on in the game when the ball came out of a ruck and I kicked it down the field,” sophomore outside center and team captain Gabriel Garcia said. “Their fullback scooped it up, I hit him and we ended up getting the ball back, so I think that kind of set the tone.”
Garcia described this as one of the plays that helped him begin to feel more confident in the Match.
The team, led by head coach Frank McKinney, has 11 freshmen, nine sophomores and only two seniors. Many of the players are still adapting to and becoming familiar with college rugby. However, this does not appear to be a problem so far for the Bulldogs.
“After the first game, we were not happy with our performance or the result, but it was our first game of the year and we are also a new team,” freshman scrum-half Mateo Correa said. “ Thanks to that game, we were able to improve during the week on the things we did poorly. Obviously, we still have a lot to improve, but with this victory, we are building a good team. This is step by step, and we do not have to rush.”
