Nov 17- 10th-ranked Arizona made the trip to Glendale, Colorado this weekend for a match up with #4 Lindenwood as they continued their ramp up towards 2026. The Wildcats would come into the match with an undefeated record, putting that on the line against last year’s national semifinalists.

 

The match would start with attacking possessions for both teams into the opposing 22, with the Wildcats’ defense holding strong on the back of a strong set piece. The veteran front row of Isaac Morrill, Henry Langrish, and Dalton Slaughter would help set the tone, with Arizona winning a scrum penalty that would start their march downfield. A penalty against Lindenwood for an off-ball tackle would result in a lineout five meters out, giving Arizona a chance to maul in a try with Flanker Aston Gradwick-Light touching down to make it 7-0. Penalties on the Wildcats would swing the game soon after, with the Lions burrowing in from a meter out to tie the match soon after. The back and forth nature would continue throughout the half, with Arizona seizing on an attacking opportunity in the Lions’ 22 as Langrish would score from close range on a pick and go to make it 14-7. Lindenwood would convert a shot at goal late in the half to make it 14-10 at the break.

 

The Wildcats would take advantage of two second-half cards against Lindenwood to get attacking opportunities, but found a strong Lindenwood defense waiting. “Second half opportunities were huge, but efficiency matters a lot in tight games” said Director of Rugby Sean Duffy. The Lions would start to chip away, scoring early in the half to make it 17-14 before an Arizona mistake in their own half would make it 24-14. Center Nick Morgan would break through after some well-worked attack late in the half but it would be too little too late for the Wildcats, with the 34-21 loss their first of the 2025-2026 season. “Credit to Lindenwood and CSU, good sides and we’re thankful for their willingness to meet us here for this neutral site match. A huge thank you to Infinity Park for hosting us. On the field, this was a great early test as we look to challenge ourselves. The progress is undeniable, we know how we are improving week by week, and I'm proud of our guys for their effort they've put in. It’s matches like this weekend that help us level up in the long term” said Duffy.

Arizona 2nd XV would also make the trip, taking down Colorado State Freshmen & Sophomores 57-29 in the curtain-raiser match. Arizona ends the Fall with a 5-1 record, 9-1 overall with a point differential of +504. The Wildcats head into the winter break ranked 10th overall, with a January 17th trip to #6 St. Mary’s next up on the calendar.
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Arizona's full schedule can be found here.​​

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Scoring vs Lindenwood

Tries: 3- Gradwick-Light, Langrish, Morgan

Conversions: Berenger 3/3

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Arizona vs Lindenwood

1- Isaac Morrill

2- Henry Langrish

3- Dalton Slaughter

4- Aiden Kemp

5- Chris Grosse

6- Aston Gradwick-Light

7- Tanner DeMassa- VC

8- Jacob Jaffe

9- Lucas Smith

10- Saxon Gerstl

11- Jake Schumacher

12- Brody Johnson

13- Nick Morgan

14- Ethan Heim

15- Matteo Berenger- C

16- Carter Hertstein

17- Jack Kerrigan

18- Jack Lister

19- Andreas Andersson

20- Sean McNulty

21- Connor McIsaac

22- S. Catchpole

23- P. Enegren​​​​​​​​

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Scoring vs CSU FR-SO​​

Tries: Magutakuona (2), Harris, Al. Kemp, Rix, Jansen van Vuuren, L. Barker, Williams, Holton

Conversions: L. Barker- 6/9

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Arizona 2nd XV vs Colorado State FR-SO

​1- Marcus Harris

2- Logan Shea

3- Geno McKenna

4- Jamie Clegg

5- Alex Kemp

6- Henry Kliavkoff- VC

7- Will Barrett

8- Braedon Butte

9- Declan Postin

10- Lance Barker

11- Jackson Kutcher

12- Peter McKenna

13- Nico Enegren

14- Emmanuel Magutakuona

15- Jimmy O'Connor- C

16- Kai Caulfield

17- Max Tenery

18- Dominic Zapata

19- Charles Williams

20- Liam Parker

21- Jonny Rix

22- Jano Jansen van Vuuren

23- Brendan Doebel

 

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