Wild Finish as Marian Edges Notre Dame in South Bend
Wild Finish as Marian Edges Notre Dame in South Bend
Marian University pulled off a wild win Friday night, beating Notre Dame 32-30 in a non-conference game.
Knights fullback Reese Reddington scored two tries in the final three minutes to pull the game out for Marian.
The Fighting Irish, playing on their home field, Stinson Field, started the game on the front foot and got a penalty that helped them work their way close to the tryline. No. 8 Jack Waterhouse worked the weakside and almost scored. He was dragged down but the Notre Dame forwards were there to keep up the pressure and Waterhouse finally got that try on a pick-and-go.
Up 5-0 the Fighting Irish ceded that momentum with a penalty right off the restart. Marian took the lineout and while the Knights’ throw was long, Marian kept made it very difficult for the Irish to get out of trouble. A poach by center Will Toohey got the ball back for Marian and then his midfield partner Casey Graybill powered over under the posts.
Graybill converted, too, and Marian led 7-5.
Penalties continued to be the assist-master for tries. Notre Dame charged into their defensive stance and it was lock Luke Ingle who forced a holding-on penalty deep in the Marian 22. Lineout, and it was Ingle who took the throw. The Irish mauled it to the line but somehow the Marian defenders kept hooker Matt Williams for touching it down. Notre Dame recycled, bashed at the lineout a couple more times, and then Williams was able to squirm his way over for a 10-7 Notre Dame lead after Phil Gunan converted nicely from out wide.
There wasn’t a lot of what you’d call open rugby early on, but Marian started to find a little space, trying to get Graybill and No. 8 Clay Peters running. It was Peters who powered his way off a scrum right on the 22. He went through, then around, and then through, and then under to somehow make it all the way to paydirt on an astonishing individual effort.
That tied it up 12-12.
The Knights moved the ball side-to-side in the middle of the field. The Notre Dame tackling hung in well and made Marian work. Finally, captain and scrumhalf Tom Lorenzetti sniped to the right just inside the Notre Dame half. The interior channel defense went for Lorenzetti, and the scrumhalf popped an inside pass to prop Kolbey Siler, who was charging onward in support. Off he went, galloped about 25 meters before he was just dragged down. Still, as he fell the prop managed to offload to his fellow prop, Alex Baccoli, who had done well to get on his horse in support, and Baccoli was over.
After a bit of a lie down and some deep breathing he was able to get up and celebrate, but Graybill missed a conversion he would have expected to get. Marian 17 Notre Dame 12.
In the next several minutes Notre Dame got into the Marian 22 twice only to be turned over both times. Then Notre Dame did the same to Marian.
One More Shot Before the Break
But as halftime loomed a long box kick from scrumhalf Jack Dunne put Marian under pressure. The Irish chased well, got the ball back thanks to an excellent steal from center Drew Ardise. Notre Dame attacked from there and finally Dunne, who had started it all, wriggled his way over. Somehow, Gunan missed a very makable kick too.
So now it was 17-17 and the first time was almost up. But Marian had one more shot. Flyhalf Joe Martindale ghosted through a gap and took off. Two Notre Dame players lined him up and somehow Martindale eluded both and scored from 60 meters. No conversion, and Marian took a 22-17 lead into the halftime break.
Notre Dame opened the second half in style when fullback Colin Ardise fielded a goalline dropout about 35 meters out and calmly slotted a drop goal to inch his side to within two points at 22-20.
As often happens in these games with high-scoring first halves, there followed a period where neither side was able to break through. Both teams worked hard to cover any breaks the other team got. And it wasn’t until less than 15 minutes to go that we saw any more points.
And, wouldn’t you know it, it was another drop goal off a goalline dropout. Yes, they kicked right to Ardise again.
It was a brilliant drop goal from the UND fullback and that put his side ahead 23-22.
Notre Dame Takes Control
Notre Dame did their best to close this one out. For about eight minutes they were in Marian territory, most of that inside the Knights’ 22.They opted for a tap move close to the line and somehow Marian stopped them. So after some surges to the line the Irish popped a kick wide.
Wing Will Linke got it, danced around, was covered, and then fired a pass to the looping Connor Mulligan, who split two defenders to score. Ardise (the fullback) added the extras and Notre Dame was a 30-22 lead with maybe three minutes to go.
It Ain't Over Until ...
Marian had to strike quickly and they did. A Notre Dame knock-on off the restart led to a Marian scrum inside the Irish half, and the Knights struck quickly. They went wide and Reddington at fullback cut through to race in under the posts. Notre Dame led 30-27. Then Marian got a penalty for no tackler release. Lorenzetti smashed a kick for about 42 meters to touch. The Knights mauled up the sideline and then spun the ball all the way to the far sideline. Some very snappy passing put Marian on the front foot and there was Reddington to speed in to score the game-winner with no time left.
It was a torrid few minutes for the Pendleton HS product and sophomore fullback. Marian seemed out of it and needed just about everything to go right for them. They got that, their forwards were smart, and their backs executed at exactly the right time.
For Notre Dame, they seemed to have done enough, and then needed just one more piece of the puzzle to close out the game.Had they secured the restart after their last try, they weren’t guaranteed anything, but they might have been able to hold onto the lead. But the ball was knocked around and it was one of those things—the ball lands in your hands or it doesn’t.
All told, an entertaining Friday night in South Bend.
