Florida 8, FAU 0 and Miami 32, Florida 5 on Saturday, October 3 in Coral Gables. A development doubleheader built around first caps, with twelve Gators playing their first ever game of rugby.
The Gators men took two development sides to South Florida on Saturday to face Florida Atlantic University and the University of Miami. The day was about depth and first minutes more than the scoreline, and twelve student athletes made their Gators debut.
Florida 8, FAU 0
The FAU match mixed A and B side players with several athletes seeing their first rugby action. Florida scored first around the 10 minute mark, Afrifa Amoah-Mensah finishing in the corner after the ball was moved across the field and back for an unconverted try. Five minutes later Joe Pankhurst added a penalty to make it 8-0. Florida lost some momentum after that and the match settled into a defensive struggle for both sides, with the score holding at 8-0. Rookies Tim Peoples and Hernan Mora were among the standouts.
Miami 32, Florida 5
The Miami match was made up mostly of rookies, with four or five experienced players in the mix. The inexperience led to some early chaos and a run of penalties, and Miami capitalized to build and hold a lead. The second half was much improved, and standout rookie Afrifa Amoah-Mensah again found the try line for Florida's only score. Final score, Miami 32, Florida 5.
A Day of Firsts
The story of the trip was the next wave of Gators. Twelve student athletes made their UF debut, and for all twelve it was their first ever game of rugby.
It was a very significant day for our program. We had 12 student athletes make not only their debut for UF, but played their first ever game of rugby. A day and experience they will no doubt remember for a long time. Looking forward to seeing how they continue to develop their skills and achieve things they maybe did not realize they were capable of over the next four years.
Scoring Summary
Florida 8, FAU 0
10' Afrifa Amoah-Mensah, try
15' Joe Pankhurst, penalty
Miami 32, Florida 5
Afrifa Amoah-Mensah, try (Florida)
What Comes Next
Full schedule and results are on the men's schedule page.
Match report by Coach Martin Russell.
Let's Go Gators Rugby.
