October 17- Arizona hit the road for the first time this season as they traveled to Orem, Utah for two matches with Utah Valley this past weekend. 

 

A number of first side selections made their debuts, but the key takeaway from the day is the squad depth that has been on display the last four weeks, all wins for the Wildcats after taking two from the Wolverines on Saturday. 

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The match would open with Arizona pinning the Wolverines deep in their territory, leading to a kick that Antonio Gonzalez would turn in to his first try of the game. A Matteo Berenger long-distance try off of an EJ Freeman pass would put the Wildcats in front 12-0. The Wolverines would respond, taking advantage of a charged down kick to make it 19-5 before Ted Champion hit a shot at goal to make it 22-5 at halftime.

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In the second half, the theme of squad depth would be on full display as impact subs continued to vie for spots in the first side when league play begins. Jacob Hall's kicking and attacking ability were on full display, while Gerard Martin made his debut in the First XV with great minutes off the bench and his first try. This effort combined with two more Gonzalez tries would make it a 34-0 second half effort and help give the Wildcats their fourth win of the season.

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In the forwards, first-year Hooker Henry Langrish and second-year back row Andreas Andersson helped set the tempo, with the young front rower continuing to impress over the ball and in defense. Andersson, a Flanker from Sweden, shifted to Number Eight and continues to improve each week. "Guys like Andreas have come back for year two and demonstrated their ability to take the next step" said Director of Rugby Sean Duffy.

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The backs were not to be ignored in this contest, however, with Wing Antonio Gonzalez (four tries) and Fullback Matteo Berenger (three tries) showing that an effort to spread the ball is starting to pay off. "Matteo was itching to play and you can see why" said Duffy. "Antonio is putting people on notice and if you look at our back three as a whole it's a dangerous group with all of the returners and some new faces like Gerard Martin now putting their hand up through their play and work in training" said Duffy. "Credit to UVU who are a big, strong team that gets better each year. They are going to do damage this season and we are thankful for not just two great matches but their great hospitality. The score flatters us, but we made a ton of mistakes and we have a lot of work to do. We are building every week" said Duffy. 

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Arizona Second XV also continued their strong form, securing a 34-0 victory over UVU with two tries by standout Wing Jude Beatty.

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Both teams have a bye this weekend followed by reserve grade matches on Friday October 27th against Grand Canyon (Frosh-Soph) and UTEP. For the Wildcats' full schedule, click here.

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UTAH VALLEY SCORING

Tries: 9- Gonzalez (4), Berenger (3), Martin, King

Conversions: Champion- 2/3, Rohrsheim- 1/2, Hall- 0/3, Berenger- 1/1 

 

 

UTAH VALLEY LINEUP

1st XV
1- Seamus McCarthy
2- Henry Langrish
3- Dalton Slaughter
4- Pacific Smiley
5- Aidan Hendry
6- Jack Brown- C
7- Abe Turpen
8- Andreas Andersson
9- George O’Brien
10- Ted Champion
11- Antonio Gonzalez
12- Gustave Martinez
13- EJ Freeman
14- Jacob Broselle
15- Matteo Berenger
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16- Joey Lewis
17- Liam Swanson
18- Jack Bresland
19- Liam Parker
20- Charley Redknapp
21- Jacob Hall
22- Will Rohrsheim
23- Mattox King
24- Gerard Martin
25- Aidan McCarthy

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2nd XV
1- Joey Lewis
2- Aidan McCarthy
3- Lucas Holton
4- Aidan Kemp
5- Charles Williams
6- Tanner DeMassa
7- Troy Norman
8- CJ De Vault- C
9- Blake Liddell
10- Andrew Newell
11- Jude Beatty
12- Charley Redknapp
13- PJ Enegren
14- Fletcher Popp
15- Connor McCormick
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16- Jonathan Gross
17- Logan Able
18- Will Berney
19- Jacob Jaffe
20- Kent Gamble
21- Otto Hirstius
22- Jackson Kutcher
23- Kieran Quinn
 

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