HOUSTON – The Norwich University men's rugby team dropped a hard-fought 36-22 matchup to Adrian College in the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Division II National Semifinals on Friday evening at Aveva Stadium.
Junior captain Leo Clayburgh (Brussels, Belgium) scored a try, hit two conversions and made one penalty kick to account for 12 points, but it wasn't enough as the top-ranked Cadets fell just short in their quest for their first national championship in program history.
Norwich (9-2) had its nine-game winning streak snapped in the loss after the Cadets were making their fourth trip to the national semifinals. NU also lost in the semifinals in 2016, 2017 and 2019. Norwich will close out the 2021 fall 15s season on Sunday at 1 p.m. Central, 2 p.m. Eastern when it takes on University of Northern Iowa in the third-place game. The Cadets have finished third twice before in 2016 and 2017.
Adrian broke a 22-22 tie with just under five minutes left in regulation when a player made a bone-crunching hit on a Norwich player that jarred the ball loose on Adrian's defensive side of the field after the Cadets had worked the ball over the midfield line. The ball bounced once and was immediately scooped up by Adrian's Macgregor Adams, who took it 60 yards for the try score to give the Bulldogs the lead for good. Adams also connected on the conversion to make it 29-22 Adrian.
The Bulldogs put the icing on the cake at the 77:34 mark with Sione Mamata breaking through for a long try score. Adams hit the conversion again to push the Adrian lead to 14 points with just over two minutes left.
No. 2-ranked Adrian (8-0) took a 5-0 lead at the 11:30 mark when Henry Greene touched down for a try to give the Bulldogs the first lead of the game in the battle of Division II heavyweights.
Clayburgh converted on a penalty kick at the 15:22 mark to cut the deficit to 5-3.
Adrian scored again at the 18:05 mark with Mamata scoring his first try of the game to push the lead to 10-3.
Norwich tied the game back up at the 23:50 mark with Blake Wolliston (Wellington, Fla.) collecting a lineout and then Norwich mauling him across the goal line. Clayburgh successful made the conversion to tie the game up at 10-10.
The Cadets took their first lead of the game at the 34:38 mark with Clayburgh scoring a try and then converting his own try to make it 17-10 Cadets.
Norwich carried the 17-10 advantage into the halftime break, despite losing Clayburgh for 10 minutes to a yellow card late in the half and then carried over to the first eight minutes of the second half.
Aleki Sanita Tautua'a scored for Adrian at the 52:45 mark to cut the Norwich lead to 17-15. The Bulldogs added another try just under two minutes later with Sam Williams bursting through for a converted try by Adams to make it 22-17 Adrian.
Norwich answered at the 61:50 mark of the second half with Brantley Ledbetter (Birmingham, Alabama) scoring his fourth try of the season to tie the game back up at 22-22.
Norwich is in the midst of its fifth straight Division II national tournament appearance and sixth overall since being elevated to varsity in 2008.
Northern Iowa fell 73-20 to Thomas More (Kentucky) in the other semifinal on Friday. Thomas More will meet Adrian for the national championship, while Norwich will take on Northern Iowa for third place.
