ANGOLA, Ind. -- The Adrian College men's rugby team traveled to Trine University on Friday night to start off the season. With a lot of new talent on the team, the team found their first chance to come together, coming out on top with a 48-5 win.
 
The first half was a tight one as the Bulldogs mounted their attack. It took a few phases but on their first trip to the red zone Adrian scored in the corner off a pick 'n' go from the ruck by James Culver, to go up 5-nil.
 
Adrian was a bit undisciplined as they committed eight penalties in the first half. However, with a scrum deep in the Thunder's red zone, scrumhalf Carson Robl picked the ball from the back of the scrum and cut up the defense to score the teams second try, 10-0. The half ended with a defensive stand by the Bulldogs.
 
The second half looked like a different team as they settled more into their systems and started to play together. A few injuries caused some players to play out of position; Wayne Cosper stepped into the scrumhalf role during the second half and really shone, setting up a couple tries and even scoring one of his own.
 
Benjamin Speight really showed the team what he has to bring to the table as he scored three tries on the night. Other tries were scored by Luke Cullingworth and Joshua Gatewood with a final score of 48-5.
 
The Bulldogs will host McKendree next on October 12 at home with an 11:00 AM kickoff.