From the get go this was a battle. The Cardinal defense was firing on all cylinders as the Cardinal held the Ducks out of scoring territory. Taki Rifai would poach a the ball following a tackle by Riley Elliot to give the Cardinal their first possession. Rifai put the ball to foot on the edge of the and was on the chase as the ball bounced into his hands. The Ducks made good on the chase back; tackling Rifai and turning the ball over just 10ms from the line. Oregon worked out of their 22m as Jeff Edsall made two critical chase back tackles. It would not be enough to stop Oregon, who exploited the compressed defense and scored on the opposite edge. The remainder of the half was scoreless and Oregon took the 0-7 lead at the half. 

The Cardinal struggled to regain possession in the 2nd half. Strong defensive efforts kept the Cardinal in the battle but penalties decreased time and opportunity to regain the ball. In the final seconds, the Ducks attempted a kick pass to the wing, and Lucas Cavalieri went up for the contest in a last effort to gain possession and tie the game. The Ducks would win the aerial contest and run in for the try to win the critical pool match 0-14. 

As the Cardinal awaited the outcome of the last pool match in their pool between Sam Houston and Iowa State they reflected on the substantial progress they made over the course of four pool games on their defensive connection and pressure. Possession is a critical part of the rugby 7s game and the Cardinal set their eyes on regaining and maintaining possession on Day 2. 

The Cardinal would gear up to play the University of Iowa on Day 2 in the Plate Semi-Final on Sunday May 19th at 10:00am, falling just 2 tries short of the Cup Semi-Finals. 
 

Starting Roster:
1. Colin Grant 
2. Kasen Stephensen
4. Riley Elliot
5. Taki Rifai
6. Lucas Cavalieri
8. Thane Brueschke
11. Jeff Edsall

Reserves:
3. Faris Bdair
7. Thomas Adamo
9. Anders Luffman
10. Diego Burgos
12. Patrick Kennedy
13. Charlie Abowd
14. Nihar Janga