Men's rugby built a 22-3 lead against Life University, but could not prevent a Running Eagles comeback in a 36-22 loss Saturday afternoon at Lupo Family Field in Marietta, Georgia.
 
How it Happened:  
The Lions controlled the first half of play, beginning with the opening drive of the game as they took the ball deep into Life territory, strung several phases together and put Runako Brynard over for a score in the corner in the fourth minute. The conversion from Matteo Peignon was good and Lindenwood led 7-0. 
 
It took the Lions only two more minutes to score again when wing Tyren Al-Jiboori darted outside the Running Eagles defense and raced for a long try. Another Peignon conversion made the score 14-0 after six minutes of play. 
 
Lindenwood took advantage of a penalty kick to increase the margin to 17 points before Life did the same in the 18^th minutes to make it 17-3.  
 
Moments later with the Lions near the try line, Al-Jiboori showcased his physicality with an overpowering effort to score his second try of the match and extend the Lindenwood lead to 22- at the 27^th minute. The Lions carried that margin to the end of the first half. 
 
Momentum completely changed in the second half as the Life offense came alive while Lindenwood struggled to play the territory game. That resulted in a Running Eagles score in the 47^th minute, followed by a converted try in the 53^rd minute and suddenly the Lions lead was only 22-15. Life tied the game nine minutes later after taking a blocked kick the distance and then took the lead for good in the 67^th minute with a strong counterattack from long range.
 
With the score 29-22 in favor of the Running Eagles, the Lions had one more opportunity to tie the game. After driving to within 10-meters of the try line, the ball ended up on the ground. Life capitalized on the error by grabbing the ball and taking it for a long try to clinch the match.   
 
In other action, the Lindenwood 2^nd XV faced the Running Eagles 2^nd XV, falling 29-22. Christopher Wallace was the leader for the Lions forward pack as he continually broke the gain line and inflicted punishing tackles on the opposition. Karsten Rice showcased his skills by scoring a try and shutting down any outside threat on his side. 
  
What's Next:  
Men's rugby quickly returns to the road for a Mid-South Conference (MSC) match versus Arkansas State February 25. The opening kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon at Curt Huckaby Field in Jonesboro, Arkansas.  
 
Starting Lineup 2/18/23:   

1. Chad Tinney – 59' Luke Schaefer 
2. Runako Brynard 
3. Connor Devos – 55' Johannes Greyling   
4. Eduan van Heerden - 55' Calvin Ihrig  
5. Alejandro Martinez Tapia - 62' Kayleb O'Donoghue  
6. Duncan Krige –  
7. Cian Darling – 77' Dylan Fortune 
8. Neal Moylett   
9. Matteo Peignon – 45' Jeremy Zwick 
10. William Groves   
11. Tyren Al-Jiboori    
12. Rhys Smith – 71' Brendan Mason 
13. Stephin Alberts 
14. Nick Hardrict, II – 57'  Lautaro Soto Ansay 
15. Kobe Millar 

   
Scoring Summary:   
4' Lindenwood Try Runako Brynard 5-0   
4' Lindenwood Conversion Matteo Peignon 7-0 
6' Lindenwood Try Tyren Al-Jiboori 12-0  
6' Lindenwood Conversion Matteo Peignon 14-0 
9' Lindenwood Penalty Kick Matteo Peignon 17-0  
18' Life Penalty Kick 17-3 
27' Lindenwood Try Tyren Al-Jiboori 22-3 
47' Life Try 22-8 
53' Life Try 22-13 
53' Life Conversion 22-15 
62' Life Try 22-20 
63' Life Conversion 22-22 
67' Life Try 22-27 
67' Life Conversion 22-29 
79' Life Try 22-34