The New Mexico Tech Miners rugby team finished in the runner-up spot during the Cohen Cup Final, losing to the Christendom Crusaders 34-29 during the collegiate rugby championship game.
“It’s bittersweet because we played one of our best games all season and it just wasn’t meant to be," Miners head coach Gearoid Dunbar told KRQE. “As I told the guys, we’re a bunch of nobodies from nowhere. Nobody has heard of us before, but we certainly made sure they know who we are now.”
New Mexico Tech rugby seniors Elijah Naranjo and Dane Robergs were upset at the loss, with Robergs being quoted as saying that the loss "hurts a lot". The Miners were third-ranked (9-0) and faced off with No. 1 Christendom College (11-1) for the small college national championship on Sunday. The close game was determined in the final few minutes of the match, according to a report from KRQE News.
Nonetheless, the school will continue to play rugby, with rugby sevens starting in the spring. Positives can also be drawn from the team's win over St. John's in the semifinal.
The Albuquerque Journal reported that wind was a factor in the game during the first half, but New Mexico Tech held St. John's scoreless on three attempts inside their five meter line in the final five minutes of the match to hold on 28-21.