GREENWOOD – The Lander men's rugby team kicked off its spring slate with a trio of wins over Belmont Abbey on Saturday at New Res Field.
In the first half,
Eric Burkett was able to take away the opening kickoff and keep the momentum to put points on the board quickly. Lander held a 7-0 lead at halftime, but came out firing in the second half to put up 28 points and take the match, 35-0.
The second match with two fast tries and unconverted kicks for the Bearcats. Belmont Abbey was able to score a try and convert bringing the halftime score to 10-7. Lander answered in the second half's first possession to make the score 17-7. The Crusaders were able to capitalize on the ensuing kickoff and get another try, but failed to convert the kick, cutting the deficit to 17-12. Lander tallied one more try and converted the kick to finish the match with 24-12 win.
The final match started with strong play from Lander, as the Bearcats used fast scoring and stingy defense to force multiple turnovers and take a 21-0 halftime lead. The second half was highlighted by Lander's defense as the Bearcats pitched another shutout, winning 45-0.
Burkett finished with several takeaways at the kickoff and a high tackle rate.
Rolland Muzeya had hard tackles and long runs resulting in scoring many tries for the Bearcats, while
Cam Smith had several long runs and scored a team-high five tries.
Matthew Shoemaker set up countless tries with tactical passing, scored from beyond midfield and converted almost all of his kicks on the day.
Ben Schlappi scored multiple times from distance, setup other tries with well-timed passes, had takeaways at the breakdown, and ended several Crusader attempts with outstanding tackles.
Lander travels to Charlotte to face Alderson Broaddus on Saturday.
#cLawsUp | @LanderRugby
