Harvey Rugby Loses in Final Seconds

Harvey’s rugby team was seconds away from an upset victory over a powerhouse Long Island team that came to Katonah yesterday, but a Harvey turnover and subsequent penalty allowed St. Anthony’s the chance to deny the Cavaliers a victory.

St. Anthony’s dominated possession early on and kept Harvey under heavy pressure. Successive forward drives led the Friars deep into Harvey territory, but the Cavaliers tackled well and stalled their opponent’s drive. Harvey winger Matt Abt had three one-on-one tackles to keep the Friars at bay.  Undaunted, St. Anthony’s was methodical in its attack and scored in the 15th minute following a stolen hook to take a five point lead.  Harvey continued its defensive efforts as the backs ran hard and exploited gaps in the Friars’ backline. In the 31st minute, Christian Harrington continued his offensive onslaught and found the tryzone.  Paul Stapleton converted to give Harvey a two point lead. The remainder of the half was hotly contested but neither team found more points.

In the second half, the Friars struck early on. St. Anthony’s forward touched down in the 37th and 51st minutes to take a 17 to 7 lead, but Harvey did not quit. In the 60th minute, Kieran O’Connor manhandled an opponent and stole the ball. He raced towards the tryzone but was pulled down just short. Harvey’s backs were quick to the ball and Stapleton scored, and converted to narrow the deficit to 3. 

With victory within sight the Cavaliers did not slow down their attack. Two successive forays into Friar land were repelled but Harvey continued to push.  In the 70th minute of play, following a lineout and penalty, the Cavaliers worked the ball out to the backs where Stapleton found a racing Thomas Jansen who dotted down for points in the far corner. Stapleton once again converted a seemingly impossible kick from the touchline to give Harvey a 21 to 17 lead entering stoppage time. The Friars forced a turnover on the kickoff and put heavy pressure on the Cavaliers. A knock on led to a Friar scrummage. The Friar attack was held up in the tryzone.  Another turnover left the Friars on Harvey’s doorstep and they were awarded a penalty a few meters from the Cavaliers’ tryzone. With 20 seconds remaining, the Friars crashed in to capture a hard fought one point victory as time expired, making the final score 22-21 in favor of St. Anthony’s.

Harvey Coach Phil Lazzaro said the heartbreak loss was not without some positives. “The boys played with vigor, toughness and displayed a remarkable competitive spirit.  Needless to say the loss was hard to stomach but I was very proud of each and every member who stepped onto the pitch representing The Harvey School.”