The men’s rugby team defeated the Brock Badgers 16-15 in a thrilling Saturday afternoon match on Kingston Field. After Brock scored an early try, the Gaels responded with a strong first half.
Lock Hank McQueen scored his second try in as many games and winger Mike Wong finished off an excellent run by his counterpart, winger Dan Moor. Brock added a penalty goal to catch up 10-8 overtaking the Queen’s lead heading into halftime. In what was the most dramatic second half of the Gaels’ season, the Badgers pushed through the Queen’s defence to add a try and conversion, pushing the score to 15-13 for the visitors late in the game.
As the game dwindled, the Gaels gained ball possession several times but were unable to generate any threatening scoring chances. However, with less than a minute remaining, Brock committed a penalty around the halfway line.
McQueen, the team’s captain, made the decision to have rookie full-back David Worsley kick a penalty goal, which scraped the uprights to give Queen’s a thrilling one point victory.
The relatively modest crowd in attendance at Kingston Field went from absolute silence to unrestrained elation after what was undeniably the most memorable finish of the season so far.
Worsley was unsurprisingly at a loss for words after his game-winning kick.
“I just wanted to make it,” he said. “I had a few nerves but I was just thinking about making it … I was just relieved. We didn’t play the way we wanted to but good teams find a way to win.”
The rookie’s late heroics gave the Gaels a winning finish to their regular season, clinching third place overall in the OUA standings. The win ensured that should the Gaels win their quarterfinal match, they will play the second seed in the semi-finals.
While the team was noticeably adrenalized by the win, both players and coach stressed that they need to improve to make a run at repeating last year’s OUA championship win.
Head coach Peter Huigenbos was honest in his assessment of the match.
“We didn’t play well,” he said. “We had a good first half and we were poised to do well in the second but Brock didn’t allow us to. Personally, I thought Brock deserved to win, but we had one opportunity to win and the 18 year-old kid stepped up.”
Huigenbos also emphasized Queen’s commitment to improvement.
“We’re going to take the time in the facility to build our skills,” he said.
“We have to keep working and keep building into the playoffs. Hats off to Worsley for making that kick but we have to be better.”
Moor highlighted the Gaels’ struggles to capitalize on their offensive opportunities.
“We need to be better at finishing and executing,” he said. “We make things happen but we need to make sure that we tighten up that last catch or last so we can put more points on the board.”
The Gaels will face the Guelph Gryphons in the OUA quarterfinals next Saturday. The game starts at 2:30 p.m. on Kingston Field.
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