READING, Pa. -- It was Dec. 4, and Kutztown was still playing rugby in 2021. The Golden Bears had advanced to the first ever, National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Tournament, semifinals. Ironically the semifinals were being held in their back yard, with the venue slated for the campus of Penn State - Berks, Only twelve miles from Kutztown. 
 
It was a bright and sunny day, especially for the month of December, as the Golden Bears warmed up across the field from their counterpart, St. Bonaventure University. The Bonnies were ranked number one in the NCR national poll. As well as playing in the midst of their most successful season on record. A month prior, during Rugby East Conference play, the Bonnies eked out their first victory over a Kutztown side, in the history of their program. It was a very close game, as the victory came down to the wire for the Bonnies, 17 to12. 
 
The winner will advance to the NCR national finals in Houston,Texas. Where they will take on the winner of today's second semi-final contest between Penn State University and Queens University of Charolette, N.C. 
 
The game kicked off at 1:00 PM and was streamed nationally on ESPN+. There was a formidable crowd and the Golden Bears took the opening kickoff. Within a few minutes they were deep into Bonnie territory. However, Kutztown lost the momentum when they were penalized, well inside the Bonnie's twenty two meter line. All of a sudden, after a number of possession changes, Kutztown found themselves digging in and defending their try line. They held off countless pick and go moves by the men in black and Kutztown's grit, eventually convinced St. Bonaventure to take a penalty kick, when the opportunity arose. There were now thirty three minutes left in the first half and the score read SBU 3  KU 0. Kutztown kicked the restart but immediately regained possession. The potent Golden Bear attack kicked into gear and Matt Gelhaus (Sr. / 2nd Row / Cincinnati, Ohio) picked up a loose ball and rumbled for twenty yards before delivering an off-load to Alex Schlager (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) (Sr. Flanker / Harrisburg, Pa.), who took the rock within five yards of the St. Bonaventure try line. There was a penalty called at the contact point , it was against the Bonnies. When very alertly and without warning, Kekoa Kauwe (Sr. / Scrum-Half / Orem, Utah) quickly tapped the ball and charged into the try zone for the Golden Bears. Thorne O'Connell (Johannesburg, South Africa/Jeppe) (Sr. / Fly-Half / Johannesburg, South Africa) slotted the conversion and at the ten minute mark, it was KU 7  SBU 3 . Both sides continued to attack and probe, looking for that gap which would set someone free. The defense on both sides was stellar at this point in the contest. However, the Bonnies eventually found some space and took advantage of a momentum swing that catapulted them to the edge of the Kutztown try line. For three to four minutes the Bonnie forwards, pounded and pounded the maroon and gold jerseys that held the line for Kutztown. It was another amazing try line, defensive effort by the Golden Bears. But this time, instead of a penalty kick, a burly black jersey, supported by another massive Bonnie forward, eventually slipped into the try zone underneath a host of Kutztown jerseys.The conversion was good with eighteen minutes to play in the first half, it was SBU 10  KU 7. 
The game was tense as both sides worked their way up and down the pitch. At one point Kutztown had a line out, approximately two yards from the Bonnie try line. The Kutztown line out jumpers got their signals crossed and lost the possession on a mental error. It was a devastating blow that had its consequences when the Bonnies advanced that ball to mid-field and strung together a series of phases that led to another try and conversion with eight minutes left on the scoreboard clock, it read SBU 17 KU 7. That was the score when the game reached its halfway point and the two teams regrouped to discus their game plan for the second stanza.
 
In the second half, Kutztown got on the board first, with a Thorne O'Connell (Johannesburg, South Africa/Jeppe) penalty kick and the score was now SBU 17  KU 10.  Then at the sixty minute point, Kutztown was deep inside their own red zone when the Bonnies blocked an O'Connell clearing kick. The Bonnies came up with the loose ball near the Golden Bear try line. A St. Bonaventure ruck, followed by a short and powerful pick & go, manufactured another try and conversion for the black jerseys. SBU 24 KU 10. At the seventy four minute mark, the Golden Bears once again fought their way to the brink of the St. Bonaventure try line. Where Aiden Smith (Trumbull, Conn.) (Fr. / Scrum-Half / Trumbull, Conn.) picked up the ball at the back of a ruck, near the touch line. He instantly scanned the defensive front and proceeded to quickly slice his way between the Bonnie defenders and into the try zone. The conversion was wide and the score now stood at 
SBU 24 KU 15. The last score of the game was a St. Bonaventure penalty kick, as they wisely ran the clock down to one minute and the end of the contest. Once again the St. Bonaventure defense was excellent and when analyzing their overall game, they were the better team on the day. However, the Golden Bears will be contenders once again, when the Rugby East Conference aligns itself for another stellar fall season in 2022. 
 
A note of interest and another congratulations to St. Bonaventure, as they defeated Rugby East Conference member, Penn State University 19-18 in the NCR, National Championship Final, one week later. This is just another positive indication of the superb collegiate rugby that is being played in the Rugby East Conference. 

RUN WITH THE BEARS !