Heartbreak for Chicago as late try gives New York win

It was heartbreak for the Hounds in Chicago as a late try gave the New York Ironworkers a 21-20 victory on Sunday afternoon. The expansion side gave the defending champions all they could handle and a last-second penalty goal attempt from Luke Carty rang off the uprights to the dismay of the home faithful.

A mistake by Andrew Coe gave Chicago an early scoring opportunity. Carty’s nudge ahead bounced off the post pad, and the New York winger picked it up and grounded the ball in-goal giving up a 5-meter scrum. Luke White broke from the back and made it over the line but Monate Akuei and Connor Buckley did just enough to prevent the big eightman from scoring.

Both teams were throwing themselves into the collisions and some flare-ups after the whistle caused the referee to admonish both captains. A penalty given away by the Hounds gave the Ironworkers an attacking lineout. The Ironworkers went to their bread and butter and Dylan Fawsitt crossed on the back of the driving maul.

Billy Meakes sent a raking grubber towards New York’s in-goal and with a pair of hounds in pursuit Nick Feakes was forces over the dead ball line. Chicago attacked from the resulting scrum and then flung it wide left to a streaking Julián Domínguez. He was clobbered by a clothesline tackle from Feakes, leaving the referee no option but to award a penalty try and a yellow card to the assailant.

Penalties began to mount for New York and Luke Carty took three points off the tee from 40 meters out. He would have a crack from halfway soon after on an offside call. The radar was off for the second strike, leaving it 10-7 in favor of the home side at the half.

Carty would have no troubles chipping over a penalty goal early in the second half. It wasn’t all good news for Chicago, however, as Mark O’Keeffe limped off with what looked like a groin pull. The Hounds kept their focus and Meakes put boot to ball again, this time the grubber bouncing up for Domínguez who cut back inside and brushed off three would-be tacklers to score.

New York finally found a response on a set move from a scrum. Fa’asiu Fuatai ran a dummy line and Brooklyn Hardaker wrapped around through the midfield gap. Soft hands from Connor Buckley and Sam Windsor put Coe in for the much-needed try. Windsor took over the goal-kicking duties and was spot on with his first attempt from wide out.

The Ironworkers stepped up the pressure but their opening salvo was repelled by Sid Shoop turnover at the breakdown. Another penalty saw Windsor hammering the ball into the corner. The lineout drive was stalled leaving it up to the forwards, and after several phases Ben Bonasso grounded the ball at the edge of a ruck. Windsor’s conversion from a tricky angle was true to set up the grandstand finish.

Chicago got the opportunity they wanted on the final sequence, with Bonasso ironically the guilty party. The strike from Carty was clean but it cruelly found iron instead of air. New York secured the ricochet, settled into a ruck, and kicked the ball dead to end the game.

It’s a short turnaround for the Hounds as they hit the road to play the Seawolves on Saturday. New York have the week off before returning for a long road trip to San Diego on Sunday, May 28.

SCORING

CHICAGO 20
Tries (2) – Penalty try (20′), J. Domínguez (49′)
Cons (2) – No kick (20′), L. Carty 1/1 (50′)
Pens (2) – L. Carty 2/3 (34′, 45′)

NEW YORK 21
Tries (3) – D. Fawsitt (13′), A. Coe (60′), B. Bonasso (76′)
Cons (3) – J. Emery 1/1 (14′), S. Windsor 2/2 (61′, 77′)
YC (1) – N. Feakes (20′)

TEAMS

CHICAGO HOUNDS
1 LaRome White (17 George Thornton 58′), 2 Mason Koch (16 Lindsey Stevens 50′), 3 Paddy Ryan (18 Charlie Abel 57′), 4 Cam Dodson, 5 John Cullen (19 Duke Krishnan 57′), 6 Michael de Waal (20 Justice Nkombua 59′), 7 Maclean Jones, 8 Luke White, 9 Sidney Shoop, 10 Luke Carty, 11 Julián Domínguez, 12 Billy Meakes (capt.), 13 Mark O’Keeffe (22 Bryce Campbell 45′), 14 Matai Leuta (21 Michael Baska 61′), 15 Chris Mattina (23 JP Eloff 61′)

NEW YORK IRONWORKERS
1 Chance Wenglewski (17 Anthony Parry 16′-19′, 66′), 2 Dylan Fawsitt, 3 Kaleb Geiger (18 Sam Davies 66′), 4 Nate Brakeley (capt.) (19 Charlie Hewitt 66′), 5 Hamish Dalzell, 6 Brad Tucker (20 Benjamín Bonasso 46′), 7 Monate Akuei, 8 Kara Pryor (16 DaQuan Perry 74′), 9 Connor Buckley, 10 Jason Emery, 11 Teofilo Fidow, 12 Quinn Ngawati (22 Sam Windsor 50′), 13 Fa’asiu Fuatai, 14 Andrew Coe, 15 Nick Feakes (23 Brooklyn Hardaker 50′)

Replacements: 21 Cristian Rodriguez

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Derek Summers (USA)
Assistants: David Zaccaria (USA) & Andrew Dunn (USA)
TMO: Kahlil Harrison (USA)