The BG rugby team finished in 2nd place in the National Collegiate Sevens tournament on Saturday with a familiar competitor, Davenport, winning the tournament.

The Falcons were lead by center Dominic Mauer, who had 44 points on the day. He had a total of four tries and 14 conversions.

BG’s first match was a 28-0 win over Northern Illinois. The following match was another win, where the Falcons beat Ball State 35-5.

After the Falcons started off strong with two wins, the next three matches were closer, and the Falcons finally fell to Davenport.

BG beat Western Michigan with a score of 21-5, and also beat Wheeling 14-5. The team would then go on to lose to Davenport 36-12.

The Falcons experienced an unusual situation in their lineup with three freshmen on the squad.

Fly half Mitch Sora, scrum half Mike Powell, and scrum half Kevin Van Horn are all freshmen.

Sora, Powell, and Van Horn arguably play the most important positions in the game, said Roger Mazzarella, director of rugby.

Mazzarella referred to fly half and scrum half positions as the “quarterbacks” in rugby.

It’s rare to have freshmen starting at both of those spots, he said.

Both Powell and Sora started every game on Saturday. Sora had three tries on the day.

It’s remarkable what the two freshmen have done because they have only been on the team for two weeks. They have only had a couple weeks to learn the offensive and defensive systems of BG rugby, Mazarella said.

“Everybody had a good day, and I’m impressed with our guys,” Mazzarella said. “Sevens is a completely sport than rugby, but it was good for our guys.”

During sevens, everybody has to perform and execute to the best of their ability. Only seven players play at one time for each side, so all seven have to be on the same page to succeed.

BG will host Western Michigan to take on a Bronco squad that will be looking for revenge as they return next Saturday. The match will start around 1 p.m. at College Park.