In a quick reversal of fortunes, 16^th-ranked Mount St. Mary's University rallied from two scores down in the 2^nd half to overpower the Grand Canyon University Men's Rugby team, 46-31, Saturday afternoon at GCU Soccer Stadium on the GCU campus. The loss dropped the 15^th-ranked Lopes back to even with a 4-4 overall mark, while the Mountaineers head back to Maryland with a 7-3 record.

Most in the stands expected the match would come down to the final possession based on the first 60 minutes of back-and-forth action. Two ties and a trio of lead changes dictated the pace of the first half as the Lopes battled back from MSMU's first score in the 6^th minute with tries from Nigel Johnson and Lachlan Jackson in an eight-minute span. The Mountaineers stormed down the field to score again to take a 14-12 lead, but Jackson struck again right before halftime, crossing the end line to give the Lopes a 19-14 lead at the intermission.
 
The Lopes' only double-digit lead of the match came from their opening drive of the second half – thanks to Nick Bauman's first try of the season. Once again, though, the Mountaineers swung the momentum quickly with a pair of tries over the next 14 minutes to knot the match at 26-26. The Lopes took possession, marched down the pitch again, and Ben Saunders touched down in the zone to give the Lopes what would prove to be their final lead in the 61^st minute. The Mountaineers swung the momentum to take the lead on a try and then a penalty kick, then after the Lopes received a 10-minute yellow card to go a man down, "The Mount" pounced with two more tries to seal the win. Besides his 6^th try of the season, Saunders converted a pair of two-point conversions in four tries, while Luke Neely added the final conversion after Saunders' try.

While the loss was disappointing, it didn't dampen the spirits of those who stayed after the match to honor the Lopes' four seniors – Jesse Emerson, Jackson Gray, Collin Knowlton and Wyatt Zolla – as part of Senior Day festivities.
 
The Lopes face one more D1A Rugby opponent before closing out the regular season. GCU will host San Diego State University – the former rival when both were a part of the California Conference – at noon on Saturday, March 23 at the GCU Practice Soccer Field. Admission to the match is FREE.