DMV soccer sadness & more: Monday Freedom Kicks

Old Glory DC (OGDC) ventured to the Greater Boston area this past Saturday. Specifically, Quincy, MA where The New England Free Jacks (NE) play home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium, otherwise known as Fort Quincy in Major League Rugby (MLR). NE was an expansion team the same year as OGDC the pandemic shortened 2020 season. NE really have turned Veterans Memorial Stadium into Fort Quincy as they have only lost at home twice since starting play in the league. They were 23-2 overall at home going into this Eastern Conference Final game. NE was also the best team in the league in the regular season coming into the game with a record of 14W-2L-0D and had a first-round bye. While OGDC came into the game as the lowest remaining seed in the playoffs as the East’s third seed with a 7W-8L-1D record. OGDC was playing on 6 days rest having just played on Sunday in New York. They got home to Leesburg at 3 AM Monday morning. They also lost a practice day last Thursday to weather before they shipped up to Boston on Friday.
I will say that OGDC’s owners did right by the fans yet again having arranged a bus for the eliminator round game in New York the previous week. This past weekend they not only arranged a bus for fans and players’ families, but also a hotel room for the night. They looked like they had a great time despite the 25-7 defeat suffered by OGDC.
The game started out quickly with NE forcing a turnover by OGDC’s Junior Sa’u. The attack went up the middle quickly and Center Le Roux Malan broke through to dot it down between the posts in the 4’ for an automatic conversion and a score of 7-0. 
It looked like NE had extended their lead in the 9’ off a scrum, but on Television Match Official (TMO) review an illegal forward pass as OGDC’s Danny Tusitala anticipated the play and stepped up breaking up the timing of NE’s play forcing the forward pass. Then a few minutes later OGDC were guilty of consecutive scrum penalties. After the second, the Free Jack elected to kick it into the corner for a line-out near the five-meter line. Then NE beat OGDC at their own game and a rolling maul on the lineout resulted in a try dotted down by Hooker Andrew Quattrin. Fly-half Jason Potroz missed the conversion attempt leaving the score at 12-0 in favor of NE in the 12’. 
Then OGDC committed a cardinal sin and were penalized for it, as the kickoff went too deep in the 14’, and NE let it go out the back of the endzone. That resulted in a scrum at midfield controlled by NE. NE would get a gorgeous 50-22 kick off the scrum for a line-out in great attacking position. OGDC would stop NE’s maul, but NE broke it out wide and a great tackle prevented a try. However, the ref had been playing advantage and brought it back for an offsides against OGDC inside their own 5-meter line. NE put it out for another line-out, but again OGDC’s defense stood tall until they were guilty of being both offside and a high tackle. NE opted for the penalty kick goal attempt, which was converted from short-range by Potroz bringing the score to 15-0.
A few minutes later, it looked like OGDC were going to score as they blocked a box kick attempt inside NE’s 22-meter line that NE recovered but were forced into touch resulting in a lineout to OGDC. OGDC’s maul would be stopped cold by NE, so they would attempt to work it out wide to the far side of the field on an advantage for a penalty by NE, but they would be stopped. The ref brought it back and OGDC put it out for another lineout, but that rolling maul was stopped as well and OGDC would eventually turn it over. 
Off the hydration break, OGDC started with a lineout, the maul was stopped, and, in the breakdown, NE were guilty of a Not Rolling Away penalty. OGDC elected for a scrum and NE would be guilty of back-to-back scrum penalties. By rule in MLR you can only try to reset a scrum once. OGDC elected for a tap and go quick restart and almost turned it over right away, but New England was guilty of a knock-on. OGDC would scrum again, but they eventually lost the ball forward turning it over to NE. And again, another bout of offensive pressure by OGDC failed to produce results. 
It was even for the rest of the half, but in stoppage time, OGDC were guilty of a penalty. NE elected for a penalty kick attempt and Potroz converted leaving the score at 18-0 at half in favor of NE.
Both teams made subs coming out of the half, but neither could convert offensive pressure into points. Stout goal line defense stopped two NE attacks cold. Outside of that it was even to start the second half and the score was identical at the hydration break.
After the hydration break NE put the game out of sight with a dagger of a try. OGDC’s Back Three Kurt Baker was guilty of a knock on. NE’s Center Ben LeSage picked it up and dropped a grubber (a kick along the ground) that bounced into the try zone and Wing/Center Taniela Filimone won the race and jumped on it dotting it down for a try in the 64’. Potroz converted the try bringing the score to 25-0 in favor of NE.
OGDC would finally get on the scoreboard in the 72’ with a try by Center Thretton Palamo who was found wide by a great cross kick from Fly-half Joaquin Diaz Bonilla. Bonilla converted the try, but it was too little too late. The final minutes ticked away despite desperate offense by OGDC, and the game finished 25-7 in favor of NE who were in control the whole way.
Thus, OGDC’s most successful season to date came to an end. The Free Jacks will face the San Diego Legion who dominated the Seattle Sea Wolves in the Western Conference Final yesterday evening 32-10 at Snap Dragon Stadium in San Diego, CA. The battle for the MLR Shield will take place at Seat Geek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois (home of MLR’s Chicago Hounds, and former home of MLS’s Chicago Fire) this Saturday at 3 PM EDT.