2022 national champion Brown and top-ranked Queens will meet in the Men’s Division I national final after winning the semifinals Saturday at Penn State - Berks. The Royals defeated Wheeling, 33-22, and Brown nudged St. Bonaventure at the death, 11-10, with a penalty kick to win it at full time.
Brown took the early lead with a Ralph Lansonneur penalty kick, but the Bonnies crossed the whitewash first with the opening try after 15 minutes. The speedy Bear defensive line was a bit too quick, getting called for offside at midfield. The Bonnies struck off the lineout, with outside center Lukas Otineru crashing over for the score. Wing Noah Edwards slotted the conversion, giving the Bonnies the lead, 7-3.
The Bears’ superior setpiece then went to work, punishing the St. Bonaventure scrum for two penalties. Instead of kicking for points, Brown opted for a lineout, mauling over a try with ease. Lansonneur’s conversion gave the Bears the 8-7 lead it’d take into halftime, despite a Tito Edjua yellow card in the 28th minute.
St. Bonaventure regained the lead with an Edwards penalty after an hour, nudging ahead, 10-8. Brown had a prime scoring opportunity inside the final four minutes, putting together a maul from an attacking lineout just outside the 22, but Bonaventure lock Maseah Young burrowed through the maul and stole possession, allowing the Bonnies to exit.
Brown was given the opportunity for a kickable penalty after the Bonnies were caught offside during the counterattack, but they chose a scrum instead from 10 meters out. Brown’s drive stalled, but the Bonnies were caught offside again with the clock full, and this time Lansonneur opted for goal, slotting the walk-off penalty to send Brown to Houston.
Wheeling struck first in the sixth minute of the second semifinal off a deceptive scrum play from the attacking 22. Scrumhalf Lawula Bata faked an outpass to the left as No. 8 Michael Muleya picked and ran to the right, setting up wing Panashe Mugorogodi for the opening try.
Queens camped out in Wheeling’s end for much of the first half, but the Cardinal defense bent without breaking until tighthead prop Keanin Kamp splashed over the line from a pick-and-go two phases from a driving maul.
The Royals cashed in on the sustained pressure again in the 32nd minute, with prop Trevion Reed carrying the ball twice in three phases and beating three Cardinals for a try on the last one. Olivier converted both, putting Queens up 14-7.
Flanker Emile van Dyk extended the lead just before halftime, scoring from short range after a bevvy of front-foot carries from Queens. Wheeling narrowed the deficit with a penalty right on halftime – 21-10.
Queens’ territorial advantage continued in the second half, and the Cardinals were left trying to run out of their own end. A mishandled pass was scooped and scored by Royal wing Everette Boyd, putting Queens up 28-10 after 56 minutes.
The Cardinals showed signs of life with a long-range score in the 66th minute. Aaron Juma ran a give-and-go with 24, centering for the easy conversion – 28-17. Queens squashed any hopes of a comeback with a maul try in the 75th minute. Wheeling managed another score, but the deficit was too much to overcome.
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Article Contributed to by Nick Berger, Event Marketing Intern.
