Sunday Results: Amazing Finish to the ACRC7s
The second annual #ACRC7s at Virginia Beach could not have ended on a more exciting note, as the championship came down to the final minute of an intense Cup match between defending champs AIC and arch rival Kutztown.
Sunday Highlights
A morning of tightly contested games featured multiple high points, including Dayton's 31-17 finish over Rutgers and can-do Hartford's surprise 24-14 win over UMass Lowell. Kutztown I plowed through St. Bonaventure and Stony Brook to reach the Cup final, setting up a rematch of last year's championship game vs AIC. The Yellow Jackets took care of Buffalo and St. Joe's to reach the Cup match.
Buffalo fought their way into the Plate final with a win over ODU, as did the Bonnies, who defeated Kutztown II to earn their spot.
Dayton's wins over Rutgers and Hartford put them in the Bowl final against Temple, who defeated Villanova and Miami of Ohio Sunday morning. Hartford earned a spot in the Spoon match against East Stroudsburg (victors over Miami U.), while Bentley's win over Cincinnati earned a chance to play for the Fork against local favorites The Heat.
The Championships
Bentley 15 - The Heat 33
The Heat, a team of college-age players out of Norfolk who compete in the Cardinal Conference, utilized relentless physicality and superior ball handling to defeat Bentley 33-15 and earn the Fork.
Hartford 19 - East Stroudsburg 25
Hartford's Cinderella story at the ACRC7s ended in a hard-fought contest with ESU that came down to the final minutes. In the end it was ESU's superior speed that sealed the Spoon.
Dayton 26 - Temple 28
Temple and Dayton proved well-matched foes in an intense, hard-hitting game that stayed close throughout. Tries were earned on both sides against heavy defensive pressure. Temple would eke out a 28-26 Bowl victory.
Buffalo 5 - St. Bonaventure 31
Size and speed were prominent on both sides but Buffalo proved outmatched by the Bonnies. The Plate contest "looked" closer than the score would indicate as both teams battled up and down the field.
AIC 27 - Kutztown 36
The championship game was a rematch of last year's final when AIC upset then-unbeaten Kutztown to take the URugby #ACRC7s Cup. This year was everything advertised as the two teams warred for possession and no tries came easy in a no-holds-barred contest. In the end it was Kutztown seizing the Cup amid cheering crowds to cap off a great day of rugby at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex.
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Thanks to the Virginia Beach Jaycees for working the gate, the Eagles Nest for a great after-match party on Saturday, Boathouse Sports and the Virginia Beach Sportsplex. Most of all, thanks to all the teams, fans and families who came out to experience this great weekend of championship rugby. We hope you had fun and look forward to seeing you again next year!