CHESTER, Pa. – After a disappointing, two-point loss to Iona in its opener, the Kutztown University men's rugby team regrouped, and played like the national power that it is, in winning both of its next games in pool play to finish 2-1 in Group D on day one of men's competition in the Collegiate Rugby Championships Saturday in Chester.
 
The Golden Bears must have been fueled by their opener because they outscored their next two opponents, Wisconsin and Boston College, 109-0, and will take plenty of momentum into the playoff-portion of the championships.
 
Kutztown will be back on the pitch tomorrow, Sunday, in a quarterfinal round match.
 
Kutztown 55, Boston College 0
 
There was little doubt in this one from start to finish as KU jumped all over the Golden Eagles and ended the day with some positive momentum.
 
Kutztown 54, Wisconsin 0
 
From the first minute through the last, Kutztown stepped on the gas and never backed off. It wanted that bad taste of a loss out of its mouth.
 
D'Montae Noble (Falls Church, Va./George Mason) got the scoring started. Thorne O'Connell (Johannesburg, South Africa/Jeppe) hit his first of five conversion following the Noble try. Next up was Aaron Gray (Washington, D.C./Perry Street Prep) scoring the first of his two tries in the match. Then came Keagan Barnes with the converted try. Rounding out the scorers were Gerald Lowe (Pretoria, South Africa/Die Hoerskool Menlopark) with a try, Alex Schlager (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) with a try, Tai Kauew with a try, Daquan Perry (Philadelphia, Pa./Conestoga) with a try, and Barnes with a conversion.
 
Iona 14, Kutztown 12
 
As would surprise none, the first score of the contest came from Kutztown's bona fide star, D'Montae Noble (Falls Church, Va./George Mason). Thorne O'Conell's conversion ticked off the top of the right post and through for the 7–0 lead. But Iona answered right back with a try by Michael Scarcella blistering down the left touch line past the Golden Bears. The well-taken conversion by Santiago Mascolo tied the score. The half came to a close with Noble again diving in for the score to put the Golden Bears back on top.
 
Iona leveled the contest when Santiago Mascolo dove under the post. The conversion pushed the Gaels into the lead. Kutzown just about retook the lead right off the restart when Gerald Lowe (Pretoria, South Africa/Die Hoerskool Menlopark) burst into the Iona five-meter line. But the Golden Bears lost the ball forward, giving Iona a five-meter defensive scrum feed. Noble was pinged for being overly eager at the scrum and sent off to the bin with a yellow card. Looking to burn the clock, Iona kicked to touch and sought to hold onto possession to starve Kutztown of any opportunities for points. A handling error, however, put the ball on the deck and set up a Golden Bears' scrum just inside the Iona twenty-two. Playing six-on-seven rugby, Kutztown yielded a penalty on the stroke of full time to give Iona the match.