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A strong crowd at Veterans Memorial Stadium turned out to watch the New England Free Jacks defeat Old Glory DC 34-31 on Saturday afternoon. It was a scoreline too close for comfort for the home side, who conceded a horde of penalties and three yellow cards that allowed the visitors to claw back from a 14-point deficit in the second half.
Discipline was a problem for the Free Jacks from the start. They were pinned back on their goal line and to their credit they held out for several minutes. After stopping a DC lineout drive, Joaquin Diaz Bonilla hit a cross-kick to a waiting William Talataina on the right side for the first try. The extras from wide out were on target from Diaz Bonilla to make it a full seven.
The Free Jacks wasted no time in firing back. There didn’t appear to be much on, with Joe Johnston joined the line and stepped past Thretton Palamo. Talataina was forced to pinch in, leaving Paula Balekana wide open to finish down the left side. Jayson Potroz lined up the conversion but it rang off the left upright.
A double-blow hit New England straight after the hydration break. First they lost captain Josh Larsen, who dislocated a shoulder at a lineout. Just a couple minutes later Diaz Bonilla knocked over a penalty goal to make it 10-5 to the visitors.
Balekana would get a double on a set move off a driving maul. Wayne van der Bank ran a short line and burst free. The midfielder was eventually felled but he flung a superb offload to Balekana for the score, with Potroz tacking on the extra two.
Conor Keys was then binned for cynically knocking the ball from Danny Tusitala’s hands while in a ruck. Old Glory went on the attack and looked to be on their way to a try when a pass from Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz was incorrectly ruled forward after bouncing off the head of a New England player.
Instead New England regained possession and on the stroke of halftime Ben LeSage cut back across the defensive line to secure a third try. The kick from Potroz made in 19-10 at the intermission.
Before Keys returned New England would secure the four-try bonus. Despite being down a man they worked an overlap with Potroz charging down the short side. He put Wian Conradie in space, who in turn found John Poland in support for the finish.
Jesse Parete, in his first game back with the team, was testing the referee’s patience and after deliberately killing the ball with DC on the attack he was dispatched to the sin bin. Old Glory immediately took advantage with a try to Nic Souchon in the middle of a lineout drive.
LeSage was the villain next, pinged for taking out Tusitala off the ball. Diaz Bonilla kicked long and the maul did the rest, driving home from 10 meters out. Souchon got the credit once again and suddenly it was all tied up at the hour mark.
Once back at full strength the New England forwards went to work and piled on the pressure. DC defended valiantly but at last Cam Davidowicz had the strength to reach out of a tackle and ground the ball, with Potroz converting. He would add three more points on a long-range effort after a scrum penalty went against the visitors.
Yet again Parete pushed his luck and when he clattered into Fa’anana-Schultz he received a second yellow, which meant red. Seconds later Diaz Bonilla found Owen Sheehy with a cross kick, and when the ball was recycled quick hands put Mike Dabulas away down the left sideline.
There was still time enough for a restart, and after Dabulas made ground the Free Jacks were on high alert. Diaz Bonilla again picked out Sheehy but the fullback opted to put boot to ball and found only Potroz, who calmly turned and smashed the ball into touch to end the game.
Old Glory head home to play the Toronto Arrows next Saturday. The Free Jacks have an extra day to prepare for their clash against the New York Ironworkers in Mount Vernon on Sunday.
SCORING
NEW ENGLAND 34
Tries (5) – P. Balekana 2 (10′, 34′), B. LeSage (40′), J. Poland (46′), C. Davidowicz (68′)
Cons (3) – J. Potroz 3/5 (35′, 40’+1′, 69′)
Pens (1) – J. Potroz 1/1 (73′)
YC (2) – C. Keys (36′), J. Parete (52′)
RC (1) – J. Parete (78′)
DC 31
Tries (4) – W. Talataina (8′), N. Souchon 2 (53′, 59′), M. Dabulas (79′)
Cons (4) – J. Díaz Bonilla 4/4 (9′, 54′, 60′, 79′)
Pens (1) – J. Díaz Bonilla 1/1 (24′)
TEAMS
NEW ENGLAND FREE JACKS
1 Kyle Ciquera (18 Tevita Sole 57′), 2 Andrew Quattrin (16 Kianu Kereru-Symes 63′), 3 Cole Keith (17 Joel Hintz 57′), 4 Josh Larsen (capt.) (19 Conor Keys 22′), 5 Jesse Parete, 6 Sam Fischli (20 Cam Davidowicz 54′), 7 Joe Johnston, 8 Wian Conradie, 9 John Poland, 10 Jayson Potroz, 11 Paula Balekana, 12 Wayne van der Bank, 13 Ben LeSage, 14 Mitch Wilson, 15 Reece MacDonald
Not used: 21 Holden Yungert, 22 Spencer Jones, 23 Taniela Filimone
OLD GLORY DC
1 Quentin Newcomer (17 Jack Iscaro 47′), 2 Nic Souchon (16 Facundo Gattas 69′), 3 Kyle Stewart (18 Ramiro Herrera 47′), 4 Collin Grosse (20 Alejo Daireaux 78′), 5 Tevita Naqali, 6 Lautaro Bavaro, 7 Cory Daniel (19 Fintan Coleman 74′), 8 Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz (capt.), 9 Danny Tusitala (21 John LeFevre 71′), 10 Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, 11 William Talataina, 12 Thretton Palamo (23 Owen Sheehy 58′), 13 Fermín Martínez, 14 Marcos Young (22 Mike Dabulas 65′), 15 Kurt Baker
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Derek Summers (USA)
Assistants: Amelia Luciano (USA) & Chris Micheletti (Canada)
TMO: Nick Hannon
Attendance: 3,353
