Exiles step up in play level against Fort Hunt

Last year, Fort Hunt dropped 55 points on us in the first half and put in their second side for the second half. This year, we went toe to toe with the number one team in the country with the number one player in the country for two full halves of rugby. Top it all off, we came with two full sides, and our seconds demonstrated the depth of our program, and they walked away victorious.

It took us almost the entire first half to get ourselves rolling and playing physical rugby. The last five minutes of the first half was all Maryland Exiles picking the ball and pounding the Fort Hunt line. We were rewarded when James Hodge went over for his first try ever. What a team for him to get his first one against.

In the second half, we traded field position and played Fort Hunt evenly trading tries with them as Aiden Howe and Mitchell Mbanong both went over the line for the Exiles.

We have a lot to be proud of, and we did a lot of good things on both sides of the ball. We made a lot of mistakes, especially early in the scrimmage, that Fort Hunt punished us for.

In the second game, fifteen Maryland Exiles walked out on to the field, most of them playing the game for the first time. Fort Hunt stepped up with two tries right away in the first period. The Exiles 2nd XV stepped up their pace and six unanswered tries. George Siarkas, Nick Costa, Jabari Agyemann, Everett Stubblefield, and Haarvard Hensen.

We now have a laundry list of things we need to work on.