Sophia Vaughn
Staff Writer
The Mira Costa boys rugby team was unable to knock the San Clemente Tritons from their throne, losing 21-7.
The Tritons came out strong in the first half, using speed to their advantage on offense. Despite putting up a hard fight, the Mustangs were unable to prevent the Tritons from scoring three trys. A drop goal by senior Evan Anderson put the first points up on the board for the Mustangs, but Costa still closed out the half down 21-3.
“[In the first half] our team as a whole was tired but we were not going to give up the fight [in the second half],” said junior Sean Cascadden.
Costa continued to struggle against the Tritons in the second half, and were unable to stop their dynamic run game, giving up five more trys. Senior fly half Evan Anderson took off down the field, giving senior inside center Reed Vabrey the field position to push through the Triton defense and force his way into the try zone. Despite the valiant effort, however, it was not enough, and the Mustangs lost, 54-10.
“Our team was matched well for skill level, however their players were much better conditioned going into the second half while our guys were sucking gas, so that edge is what they exploited to win the game, “ said Cascadden.
The Mustangs, now 0-1, will face St. Augustine High School away next Saturday in their second game of the regular season. The time is to be determined, but will be a huge test for the Mustangs, as a loss to St. Augustine ended their playoff run last season. Costa hopes to improve their defense and returns, Cascadden said.
“Last year we saw a lot of kicking [from St. Augustine], so our back three are practicing kick returns and counter attacks so that we dont get caught off guard,” said Cascadden.
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