Curtain Raiser Match Recap: Oregon State University

The Huskies kicked off a momentous weekend with the curtain raiser match at Starfire Stadium before the Seawolves game. We kicked off with two players on debut who had previously only played 2^nd XV rugby, and a few others who have had only minutes on the first XV. With this mixed starting roster, it was a huge accomplishment that the Dawgs defended relentlessly on their own goal line for ~15 minutes in the first half, disallowing many OSU try opportunities. Oregon State looked like the dominant team.

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A yellow card for repeated UW penalties, and ultimately a red card for a dangerous tackle, meant OSU came away with 3 points, before the Dawgs started scoring. A dominant rolling maul, and some aggressive probes into the OSU 22 meter zone, resulted in UW tries by Anson Sidle (JR), Victor Marcenac (SR), and Andrew Stanfel (JR). Sebastian Sosa (JR) was 2/3 on conversion kicks. A standout performance by Ean Lovell needs mentioning, 4-year senior and team manager, and receiving his first cap on Friday. In 20 minutes Ean made 5/5 tackles and carried twice over the gainline.

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Down a man for 24 minutes, and down two men for 32 additional minutes, the Dawgs made dominant tackles late in the game against OSU’s forwards, and open field tackles through fatigue and with much wider defensive gaps than they would’ve liked. OSU picked off an errant pass for a try, not for lack of defense. As the clock wound down, we made more substitutions with one more first XV debut, and other players with limited 1^st XV experience. Every player stepped up and played for more than just themselves, both in terms of heart, and also covering more ground with 13 or 14 men on the field. A final OSU try made the game too close for comfort, but despite setbacks, UW came away with the win.

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Final score UW 19 – 13 OSU.

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Victor Marcenac was named man of the match, a senior who will be returning for one more year of rugby during grad school.

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The coaches were already discussing changes and objectives for Fall 2025 during the Seawolves game. Excited about the number of talented and determined players returning next year, and the new recruits entering Fall 2025, we are a club on the rise with no signs of slowing down.