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| Woodlands players smashing Keegan Mills after a kick |
The Eagles had a big night last Friday when they hosted The Woodlands at BBVA Compass Stadium in a Cup Match. STH had a rare and unique opportunity to play in a professional stadium for their season opener. The match against The Woodlands was held after the final Day 1 matches of the IRB Womens Houston 7s event. The Eagles took advantage of their opportunity by forging a 32-17 victory.
Due to a league restructure last spring, clubs and school teams have been brought back together in the same conference. While this move disappointed many in the school rugby community, it did provide STH with an opportunity to play a long-time opponent in The Woodlands. The Woodlands were the defending state club champions and the match promised to be an exciting and challenging affair.
The venue also provided the Eagles with some challenges. The match did not start until 8:45 on Friday evening and both sides received (despite protest) about eight minutes to warm-up before the start of this important game. The referee for the match was long-time Texas Referee Society veteran Greg Varnell.
The Eagles got off to a very poor start when The Woodlands took the opening kickoff, worked it wide and scored under the posts (:50). Poor kickoff coverage was responsible for allowing the try, which could be partly attributed to the short warm-up. However, the Eagles quickly recovered and the forwards began to assert a dominance that lasted throughout the game. STH got an opportunity for a penalty kick (6:42) which Captain Keegan Mills slotted. Mills followed with another penalty kick (13:49) a short time later, bringing the score to 7-6.
Parker White smashed over the try line off a 5 meter scrum (20:52), and Mills hit the conversion for the Eagles first lead, 13-7 of the match. Mills added to the lead with his third penalty kick of the night (24:48) and it appeared that STH was getting ready to run away with the match as the score moved to 16-7. However, St. Thomas lost its concentration right before the half and misplayed the ensuing kickoff. The Woodlands gathered the ball and despite a ferocious goal line stand by the Eagles managed to punch in a try (28:01). The Eagles managed to get out of the half with a 16-12 lead.
The Eagles struck first blood in the second half when Mills smashed another penalty kick (34:20). St. Thomas refused to yield pressure and momentum and after spending a great deal of time in The Woodlands half of the field, reserve Jaren Bradford scored the second try of the night from 1 meter out (42:00). The Eagle forwards kept their pressure on their opponents and force yet another penalty which resulted in Mills's fifth penalty kick of the night (37:48), moving the Eagles into a comfortable 27-12 lead. Mills's five penalty kicks set a new school record, breaking the previous record of four held jointly by Conor Mills and Sebastian Gracia.
St. Thomas suffered another mental error right before the end of the match on defense which allowed The Woodlands winger to score in the corner (54:08). They managed to respond properly however, when Parker White made the play of the game with a rumbling 35 meter run off the base of the scrum for a spectacular score (58:48). The Eagles went to 1-0 in Cup play with a 32-17 final score over The Woodlands. This was a fantastic effort by the defending state champions as they overcame a number of distractions. A great start to the 2012 season!
The Eagles got off to a very poor start when The Woodlands took the opening kickoff, worked it wide and scored under the posts (:50). Poor kickoff coverage was responsible for allowing the try, which could be partly attributed to the short warm-up. However, the Eagles quickly recovered and the forwards began to assert a dominance that lasted throughout the game. STH got an opportunity for a penalty kick (6:42) which Captain Keegan Mills slotted. Mills followed with another penalty kick (13:49) a short time later, bringing the score to 7-6.
Parker White smashed over the try line off a 5 meter scrum (20:52), and Mills hit the conversion for the Eagles first lead, 13-7 of the match. Mills added to the lead with his third penalty kick of the night (24:48) and it appeared that STH was getting ready to run away with the match as the score moved to 16-7. However, St. Thomas lost its concentration right before the half and misplayed the ensuing kickoff. The Woodlands gathered the ball and despite a ferocious goal line stand by the Eagles managed to punch in a try (28:01). The Eagles managed to get out of the half with a 16-12 lead.
The Eagles struck first blood in the second half when Mills smashed another penalty kick (34:20). St. Thomas refused to yield pressure and momentum and after spending a great deal of time in The Woodlands half of the field, reserve Jaren Bradford scored the second try of the night from 1 meter out (42:00). The Eagle forwards kept their pressure on their opponents and force yet another penalty which resulted in Mills's fifth penalty kick of the night (37:48), moving the Eagles into a comfortable 27-12 lead. Mills's five penalty kicks set a new school record, breaking the previous record of four held jointly by Conor Mills and Sebastian Gracia.
St. Thomas suffered another mental error right before the end of the match on defense which allowed The Woodlands winger to score in the corner (54:08). They managed to respond properly however, when Parker White made the play of the game with a rumbling 35 meter run off the base of the scrum for a spectacular score (58:48). The Eagles went to 1-0 in Cup play with a 32-17 final score over The Woodlands. This was a fantastic effort by the defending state champions as they overcame a number of distractions. A great start to the 2012 season!
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