WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Despite finishes of 3rd and 2nd and only two losses in conference action this Spring, Lander went into the tournament seeded 4th. They played in pool A, which consisted of top-seeded The Citadel, 5th-seeded Furman, and 8th-seeded Duke. Lander had been the only team in the conference to finish in the top-three of every tournament played in this season and the consistency and continued improvement payed off with a championship in the end.
The first match of the day for the Bearcats was against the much improved Paladins from Furman. The previous matchup of these two teams end with a Lander victory 31-19 back on Feb 26 at UNC Wilmington, match was going to be a lot closer. Lander wasted no time in finding the try zone on what might be the "team" try of the year, Eric Burkett steals the kickoff and from there every player gets a touch on the ball and has multiple offloads. The ball finds Tomás Mussi who scores and converts the kick. Quickly there after Mussi scores an unconverted try for the team in blue and gold. Furman is unfazed by the quick scoring and scores two converted tries of their own to take the lead 14-12 at halftime. In the third minute of the second half Mussi gets his hat trick with an unconverted try. A couple minutes later Austin Johnson, the Bearcats' leading try scorer, races the length of the pitch for a try and Mussi conversion. Furman fights hard to mount a comeback and scores an unconverted try on the last play of the match, the final score was 24-19 Lander.
Match two was against the Duke Blue Devils. They had a very aggressive and physical style of play and hopes of an upset. Despite their efforts Lander scored multiple tries by a host of Bearcats: Austin Johnson, Hayden Bulwinkle, Trey Runck and conversions by Tomás Mussi. The halftime score was 19-0 Lander. Laureano Petris scored in the first minute of the second half and Mussi nailed the conversion. Duke was able to answer with an unconverted try. Cam Smith was quick to take the ball from beyond midfield to try time and converted his try as well. Ethan Richardson shortly thereafter scored an unconverted try and Duke responded with a converted try to end the match at 38-12 to Lander.
Match two had top-seeded The Citadel facing off with Lander. Lander's only losses in conference play were against The Citadel (12-17 in OT & 14-21). Today was a different day with a spot in tournament semifinal on the line. In the second minute Laureano Petris scores a Tomas Mussi converted try to strike first. Mussi picks apart the Bulldog defense for the next try and converts the following kick. Lander takes a 14-0 lead at the half. Despite the score it's been a very close match. To start off the second half Austin Johnson pulls off what might be best play of the year. Johnson steals the Lander kickoff from the air in stride and races forty meters to the try zone and Mussi converts. To finish out the match Ethan Richardson scores a try and Jeremiah Rosenbrook converts the kick resulting in a 28-0 win for the Bearcats.
In the semifinal Lander will face UNC Wilmington for the first time of the season. It's been said Lander has never beaten UNCW on the rugby pitch, although they've not played in recent memory. In the second minute the Bearcats find try time with Tomas Mussi scoring and converting. After this score both defenses settle in and the physicality stymies both attacks. Halftime score has Lander up 7-0. In the second half minutes three and six, UNCW score unconverted tries taking a 7-10 lead with less than a minute left. They still the ensuing kickoff with hopes to run the time off and Mussi forces a not-releasing penalty and goes quick, then finds Cam Smith who takes the ball from behind midfield and breaks several tackles to score the game-winning try on the last play of the match. The Bearcats advanced to the final with a winning score of 12-10.
The final will have Lander playing Belmont Abbey, both teams are fully recognized by their respective athletics departments. While the Crusaders had advanced from pool play with a loss and Lander undefeated, it didn't matter now. The winning team would be crowned Southern Rugby Conference 7s champions and would receive an automatic qualification to the National Championship tournament in New Orleans, on Memorial Day weekend. Having been able to watch each other play all day, both teams had an idea of what to expect from each other. This match was a tough one from the start, Belmont Abbey was able to break the gain line and score a converted try in the second minute of the match. Ethan Richardson was able to do the same for the Bearcats one minute later and Tomás Mussi was able to tie it up with the conversion. BA was not going to lay down and scored an unanswered try two minutes later to regain the lead. To finish out the half Cam Smith has a phenomenal line break and score a go ahead try with a Mussi conversion to end the half 14-12 Lander. Defense was the game the second half, until the midpoint of the half BA scores an unconverted try to take a three point lead. Austin Johnson does what he's done all season, and that's get try-scoring line breaks, with 2 mins left in the half he finds pay dirt and Mussi converts giving the Bearcats the lead. The Crusaders make one last play in scoring position, but the Bearcats force a knock on and regain the scrum, then Mussi kicks the ball out of the try zone. Lander wins the Championship 21-17 and receives the birth to the National Championship tournament.
