Tough Rugby Tour Loss for St. Ignatius Wildcats in Argentina

The Saint Ignatius High School Wildcats experienced a challenging game, losing to the La Plata U17s, 29-19, in Buenos Aires on March 30, tje first match day of the SIHS rugby program's tour of Argentina. The intense heat provided an extra layer of difficulty to a St. Ignatius lineup of freshmen and sophomore players (St. Ignatius fielded four sides on the day). La Plata scored in the first few minutes but an interception for a try from fullback Jimmy Riley, with Noah Gallagher's conversion, put tje tourosts up 7-5. But l'Oro responded later in the first half to lead 10-7 at jalftime. Playing eith a very short reserves bench Saint Ignatius fought hard with additional tries Nate Muniz on a brilliant cointerattack move, and Noah Spinos, capping off so.e hard work in tje forward. Preston Bucsanyi added a comversion. But In the second half, the Wildcats experienced a setback that marred their comeback hopes. Down 17-12 they gave up two quick tries thanks to little mistakes and their opponents extended the gap to 29-12. Despite the result, the Wildcats did not emerge from the contest empty-handed. Flanker Talin Blogna was lauded for his impressive performance in offense and defense. Props Noah Spinos and Charlie Shmelter also earned Coach Tony Vegh's praise, having worked tirelessly throughout the game with no rest. "It was a good test for our kids in tough conditions and we're proud of how the players, especially the freshmen, acquitted themselves," said Vegh. "Hats off to La Plata." The Wildcats will be looking to bounce back in their next game on April 2 in Mar del Plata, where they will face off against San Ignacio High School.