Ohio’s club rugby team will look to exact revenge on Northern Illinois, which bounced the Bobcats from playoff contention last year, in its season opener Saturday.
The game is a rematch of the 2012 Midwest Rugby Union Division-II semifinals, in which Northern Illinois defeated Ohio 35-10 before falling in the championship game.
Ohio coach Willie Griffes, who has led the team for the past four years, expects the Bobcats to run neck-and-neck with the Huskies, who finished second in the championship bracket.
“We expect a hard-fought match,” he said. “We were in a battle with Northern last year for the playoffs; they ended up prevailing in the second half and won 35-10. It’s our first fifteens matchup for the fall, so we expect an 80-minute match from them.”
Junior Ben Foldesy thinks a win against the Huskies may be the first step for the Bobcats in proving themselves this season.
“Last season we played NIU and lost to them in the Midwest finals to get to nationals,” he said. “There’s a lot of good teams in Division I, and NIU is one of the top teams. If we can knock them out here it’ll be a good start to the season.”
The squad that will step onto the field Saturday is far from the same one that reached the Midwest semifinal game last fall. Despite questions about the team’s youth raised by team veterans, Griffes said his young team feels it has found a common ground and consistency during the offseason.
“This is our first test together as a full team,” Griffes said. “We’ve got a lot of experience and think our defense is pretty stout, so as long as we can keep possession, we feel confident going into the MAC opener.”The Bobcats will host Ball State on Saturday in the first of four home matches scheduled for the season.
jd202409@ohiou.edu
