With files from Brock Smith, Ontario Arrows Communications; Photo Credit to Garry Coldwells (@rugbyphotographer on Instagram)
(TORONTO, ON) – Heading into their 2018 home opener, the Ontario Arrows set out to make their first match in front of home fans a memorable one. The result: mission accomplished. With a comprehensive 77-8 victory over northeastern American premier club side Boston Mystics on Saturday afternoon, the young club put in a performance that the 1,604 match attendees won’t soon forget.
Led by wing Kainoa Lloyd’s four-try effort, the Arrows used a lethal combination of speed and strength to amass 12 tries against the visiting Mystics. After racing out to a 34-3 lead at halftime, Ontario maintained their torrid try-scoring pace in the second half, giving their supporters at York University plenty to cheer about.
The Arrows had four other try-scorers on the day: captain Mike Sheppard had a hat-trick, No. 8 Kolby Francis and substitute forward Andrew Wilson each picked up a pair, and centre Jon West added a single. Fly-half Will Kelly tallied 17 points with his boot, notching seven conversions and a penalty goal in the 69-point victory.
“I’m very proud of our how our guys played this afternoon,” said Arrows head coach Chris Silverthorn, following the match. “We saw a complete effort and strong contributions from all 23 of our players. We wanted to put in a performance that our home fans could get excited about, and I think we came through on that goal, and then some. While we won’t rest on our laurels, we’ll certainly remember this match for a long time. We’ll be working hard to deliver more of the same.”
Saturday’s victory over Boston is Ontario’s third consecutive win in their exhibition season. The Arrows now hold a 3-1-1 record this spring, which includes a victory over Major League Rugby side Utah Warriors, a pair of wins against the Mystics, and a draw against MLR’s Houston SaberCats.
“The support we received from our fans today was incredible,” said Arrows captain Sheppard. “Playing in front of 1,600 really gave us a boost. We came into this game wanting to offer an exciting, entertaining style of rugby, and our fans responded in kind. The atmosphere was top-notch, and we fed off that energy.”
Ontario supporters won’t have to wait long to see their Arrows hit the pitch again. Ontario will host the Canada Selects on Friday, May 18 (7 p.m. kickoff) at York University as part of the national program’s preparations for their upcoming June internationals.
The Arrows will then travel to British Columbia for a second match against the Canada Selects on Saturday, May 26 (8 p.m. kickoff) at Westhills Stadium in Langford.
Tickets to the upcoming home match will be available online in the coming days, as well as at the gate on match day.
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Ontario Arrows Score Report
Tries: K. Lloyd 4 (4, 22, 61, 69), M. Sheppard 3 (16, 40, 43) K. Francis 2 (33, 47), A. Wilson 2 (66, 80), J. West (54)
Conversions: W. Kelly 7 (17, 34, 40, 44, 48, 55, 62)
Penalty Goals: W. Kelly (20)
Ontario Arrows Lineup vs. Boston Mystics
1. Rob Brouwer
2. Jack McRogers
3. Tom Dolezel
4. Mike Sheppard (C)
5. Paul Ciulini
6. Marcello Wainwright
7. Peter Milazzo
8. Kolby Francis
9. Andrew Ferguson
10. Will Kelly
11. John Sheridan
12. Mitch Richardson
13. Jon West
14. Kainoa Lloyd
15. Shawn Windsor
16. Cam Sandison
17. Pat Lynott
18. Mike Smith
19. Josh Van Horne
20. Andrew Wilson
21. Alex Gliksten
22. Kyle Lagasca
23. Cooper Coats
STAFF
Head Coach: Chris Silverthorn
Assistant Coaches: David Butcher, Aaron Carpenter, Cory Hector
General Manager: Mark Winokur
Performance Analyst: Rodin Lozada
Athletic Therapist: Chris Kelly
Team Doctor: Dr. John Gillis
About Ontario Arrows Rugby Club:
The Ontario Arrows Rugby Club is Canada’s first privately-funded high-performance rugby team.
The team is equipped to compete against top-tier North American club teams, providing emerging Canadian talent with enhanced and more frequent opportunities to hone their skills at an elite level.
