September 20, 2003
On a sunny but windy afternoon at the National Sports Center in Blaine the Pigs defeated the University of Minnesota by a score of 27 – 12. Going against the wind in the first half it took a while to get started, but Saint Paul eventually got on the board with a try in the corner from Grant Dietrich in the 20th minute after some good backline work. The tough conversion into the wind from the sideline was missed. 15 minutes later it was the pack’s turn to shine, pushing a 5 meter scrum all the way into the try zone where it was touched down by number eight Joe Huberty. Bill Bridgeman missed the conversion, but converted a penalty just before half to make the half time score 15 – 0.
The U came back strong in the second half with a converted try to cut the lead to 15 – 7. That was followed by another Dietrich try converted by Bridgeman to make it 20 – 7. The U kept fighting and added another try after some sloppy tackling by the Pigs to again cut the lead, this time to 20 – 12. The Pigs largely retained possession from that point, however, and added a late try from Jake Hodgson after a series of forward punches. Bridgeman converted to make the final score 27 – 12.
Scoring:
Tries: Dietrich (2), Huberty, Hodgson
Conversions: Bridgeman (2/4)
Penalties: Bridgeman
B-Side
The B-side game saw the Pigs run out a side with a mixture of youth and experience. There was no scoring in the first half, as the Pigs put on a strong defensive effort, keeping the U from scoring despite being pinned inside our 22 almost the entire half. Jamie Calvert scored the Pigs’ lone try just after half, chasing down a kick and touching down in the back of the try zone for a 5 – 0 lead. The U fought back and got a try 5 minutes from time, and the game ended in a 5 – 5 tie. Special thanks to all the Pigs Old Boys who came out to play today and show the young kids a thing or two.