It appeared that the Penn State men's rugby team would sail to a fairly easy win in last Saturday's action. Unfortunately for them, the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indians wouldn't give up that easily.

Despite jumping out to an early 10-0 lead, the Ruggers succumbed to a relentlessly pressing Indian offense and ultimately lost 22-17 in their first game of the season.

Freshman flyhalf Dominic Mara was as good as advertised, kicking a three-point drop goal, scoring a try and kicking the conversion for the game's first 10 points in the early going.

IUP came back with a try and conversion of their own to make it a three-point game moments later. From there, the game quickly became a war of defense.

Vicious hits and brutal play dominated much of the half until center Justin Ingram broke through with a late try. Mara converted the kick to make a 17-7 game going into the second frame.

In the second half, IUP dominated ball possession, forcing the Ruggers to play nearly half an hour straight on defense.

Despite Penn State's best efforts, IUP put up three unanswered trys to complete the comeback win.

The last score came with barely a minute left when an IUP forward came running out of nowhere into the try zone.

"IUP just adjusted well at the half," head coach Terry Ryland said. "They took advantage of our size and won on a sneak play."

Instead of curling into a fetal position, the Ruggers vainly fought back with a possession deep into enemy territory but unable to penetrate the try zone before the final whistle blew.

"The forwards didn't get the ball enough in the second half," captain Kirk Neubauer explained. "Our defense was good but we just didn't get enough opportunities to score."

During the fierce defensive stand the Ruggers put up in the second half, tackles and hits became so physical that a mini-melee nearly broke out before being subdued by officials and other players.

Penn State was outplayed in scrums and lineouts and was unable to strip the ball away from the Indians' offense much of the game. The Ruggers rarely had sustained ball custody from after the secondhalfbegan, making scoring chances few and far between.

"They were a lot more physical and a lot bigger than I expected," Mara said of the first team he faced in collegiate action.

Next weekend, the Ruggers hope to rebound against Ohio State on the road.