KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's rugby team hit the field for the first time in 2018 and was tested right out of the gate. KU scored 17 of the game's final 20 points to come from behind and defeat Doylestown Rugby Club 23-22 in an exhibition game last Saturday, Sept. 8, at the Rugby Pitch on North Campus.
 
Trailing 19-6 with 30 minutes gone in the first half, Jake Rice (West Chester, Pa./West Chester Rustin) began the comeback effort for the Golden Bears with a try five minutes later to decrease their deficit to 19-13. A Doylestown penalty kick to increase its lead to 22-13 at halftime was the final scoring Kutztown would allow on the day.
 
Keyon McCloud-Holman (Philadelphia, Pa./Benjamin Franklin) opened the second half with a try as Kutztown trailed just 22-18 early on. In the 71st minute, Gerald Lowe (Pretoria, South Africa/Die Hoerskool Menlopark) recorded what proved to be the game-winning try, as Kutztown was able to hold on for the 23-22 win.
 
Thorne O'Connell (Johannesburg, South Africa/Jeppe) added two penalty kicks for KU.
 
Kutztown remains home for a regular season match against Virginia Tech on Saturday, Sept. 15 at the Rugby Pitch at 2 p.m.