Arrows stun Legion with late try at Lamport

Recap

The Toronto Arrows passed another significant hurdle in their quest for a Semi Final spot as they defeated the San Diego Legion 23-19 at Lamport Stadium on Sunday. A late try brought San Diego’s five-game winning streak to a halt and put Toronto within touching distance of rivals New York and Glendale.

San Diego did well to absorb a largely one-sided opening quarter to score the first points. Toronto couldn’t get the final pass to stick after repeat attempts, and when the Legion finally got possession Joe Pietersen sliced through and put JP du Plessis over for a try.

Discipline was fast becoming an issue for San Diego and after Sam Malcolm landed a penalty goal the first of three yellow cards on the day was brandished by the referee. du Plessis earned his timeout for an international knock-on. As the inside center prepared to return, outside center Dylan Audsley was carried off with what looked like a serious leg injury.

Meanwhile the Arrows scrum earned a penalty which Malcolm duly slotted from a tough angle to take the lead. The Legion were on the back foot again when a stray pass was kicked ahead by Mike Te’o, and the bounce favored the flying fullback who sprinted under the sticks from beyond halfway.

Malcolm’s third penalty closed the gap to three, and after a 20-minute stalemate the second San Diego yellow opened the door. Nate Augspurger was the guilty party this time after a high shot on Patrick Parfrey following a warning from the referee.

The Legion were forced to pull Nick Boyer in to play scrumhalf and the Arrows capitalized. Leandro Leivas cut through the line, checked Te’o with a stutter-step, and won the race to the corner. Malcolm’s near-sideline kick was inch-perfect to give Toronto a 16-12 lead.

A mistake cost the Arrows dearly just moments later. Malcolm’s clearance kick landed straight in the bread basket of Te’o. He made his way back into Toronto territory and Pietersen nearly went the rest of the way by himself. The San Diego forwards were held up short under the posts, but the ball came left and this time Pietersen was just quick enough to beat the defense to the line for a converted try.

Toronto didn’t panic. Half-breaks from Gastón Mieres, Leivas, and finally Andrew Ferguson put San Diego on the retreat and another Leivas run nearly put Avery Oitomen into the corner. He was pushed into touch but Kolby Francis stole the lineout and when Dino Waldren cynically slowed the ball down at the breakdown, the referee reached for his pocket a third time.

With the Legion pack down a man the scrum was the only option. Francis broke from the back and got within two meters, Mike Sheppard inched it ahead, and Steven Ng took it over the line with just under 2 minutes on the clock. Malcolm added the conversion and the Legion wouldn’t get another chance as the restart was controlled and smashed into tough by Ferguson.

SCORING

TORONTO 23
Tries – L. Leivas (67’), S. Ng (78’)
Cons – S. Malcolm 2/2 (68’, 79’)
Pens – S. Malcolm 3/3 (23′, 36’, 43’)

SAN DIEGO 19
Tries – J. du Plessis (18’), M. Te’o (39’), J. Pietersen (71’)
Cons – J. Pietersen 2/3 (40’, 72’)
Pens – J. Pietersen 0/1
Yellow cards – J. du Plessis (24’), N. Augspurger (65’), D. Waldren (77’)

TEAMS

TORONTO ARROWS
1 Rob Brouwer (17 Pat Lynott 73’), 2 Andrew Quattrin (16 Steven Ng 66’), 3 Morgan Mitchell (18 Cole Keith 51’), 4 Mike Sheppard, 5 Paul Ciulini (19 Tom van Horne 68′), 6 John Moonlight, 7 Peter Milazzo, 8 Marcello Wainwright (20 Kolby Francis 66′), 9 Jamie Mackenzie (21 Andrew Ferguson 59’), 10 Sam Malcolm, 11 Dan Moor (capt.), 12 Patrick Parfrey, 13 Spencer Jones (22 Leandro Leivas 59’), 14 Gastón Mieres, 15 Theo Sauder (23 Avery Oitomen 19’)

SAN DIEGO LEGION
1 Nathan Sylvia (17 Faka’osi Pifeleti HT), 2 Kapeli Pifeleti, 3 Paddy Ryan (19 Dino Waldren 59’), 4 Jasa Veremalua, 5 Keni Nasoqeqe, 6 Psalm Wooching, 7 Devin Short (16 Pat Blair 59′), 8 Jordan Manihera (20 Drew Gaffney 59’ {3 Paddy Ryan 77′}), 9 Nate Augspurger, 10 Joe Pietersen (capt.), 11 Ryan Matyas (23 Nick Lupian 75′), 12 JP du Plessis, 13 Dylan Audsley (21 Nick Boyer 35’), 14 Conor Kearns, 15 Mike Te’o

Not used: 18 Aaron Mitchell, 22 Will Holder