The Aggies open the 2012 National Collegiate 7s Championships against Bowling Green - here is some background on the Falcons.
Bowling Green rugby was founded in 1968 and has a very proud tradition of excellence. It has an average membership of 80+, with BGSU fielding five squads each season (each squad typically posts nine wins). The Falcons boast an all-time record of 1663 -358-82. Led by Head Coach Roger Mazzarella, the BGSU has made numerous final four appearances, won 26 Mid-American Conference titles, and been featured in a Sports Illustrated article. The university has embraced rugby as a quasi-varsity sport with a home game fan attendance that easily makes it the fourth most watched sport on campus. The Falcons have a dedicated home pitch on campus with fan seating and electronic scoreboard.
This season the Falcons took second to Davenport University at the MAC 7s Tournament, losing 36-12 in the final. The score is a bit misleading as BGSU faced only a two-point deficit at halftime (14-12). Bowling Green defeated Northern Illinois 28-0 and Ball State 35-5 in pool play. They went on to defeat Western Michigan 21-5 in the quarterfinals and Wheeling Jesuit 14-5 in a semi-final match. According to an interview with Rugby Magazine, Coach Mazzarella said, "We started two freshman and had a third freshman on the squad, so for a young team I thought we did great." The Falcons received an at-large bid to the finals.
Falcon players to watch for at the National Championships are Mike Powell and Mitch Sora (both freshmen). In addition, veterans Mike Ziegler and Dominic Mauer add punch to the BGSU side. The Aggies play the Falcons at 10:20 on Friday morning in what will be an exciting matchup.
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