SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- This past Saturday, Sept. 10, the Falcons hosted the U.S. Naval Academy in their final home match of September to which the Falcons held true and determined the match with another defensive showcase.

This weekend was particularly made special as it was the 15^th anniversary of September 11^th attacks. The College made it a special ceremony as they welcomed the South Euclid Fire Department Honor Guard for the opening ceremonies along with President Kruczek and Team Impact Player Jack Lovinger.

At the two teams' last meeting, Navy walked away with a 31 – 17 victory over the Falcons, but the story had a different ending this time around as the Falcons had taken what was rightfully theirs with a flawless victory of 27-8 over Navy.

Throughout the match, the Falcons had dominated from both a possession aspect just as much as a defensive structure which showed imperative for a half time score of NDC 12, Navy 3.

"I think our defensive structure was good. We work hard at it and don't commit to the ruck if we know we have lost it," said NDC head coach Jason Fox in a postgame interview with Rugby Today's Brett Anker.

In the second half, the Falcons brought the heat, dotting down a quick two tries by Marcus Tupuola and Charles Winn. Those tries would not have been made possible without spectacular open-field ball handling from Cory Graham, Tupuola and Winn who were magicians with the ball.

While the Falcons dominated on the offensive side of things, they overcame adversity defensively as junior Zack Forro was unable to play in this weekend's match as he had commitments with the military.

Forro is the leader in the backs with his tenacious defensive and aggressive ball-running skills, but it was time for freshman Corben Williams to step to the plate and assert his aggression.

While the back three of Winn, Mount and Tupuola seemed to intimidate Navy from their kicking game, the fly-half and centers caused confusion with fast-paced, belligerent defensive. Williams, Thomas and Graham played the "in-your-face" styled defense the Falcons have been implementing all season.

As for the forwards, it is a difficult task to point out who came to play as all eight individuals played their parts particularly well. Aidan Carr and Wale Williams played fantastic defensively around the breakdowns while Smith and Paterson worked to earn the ball back for the Falcons at any given opportunity. The starting wing-forwards, Cullen Barelka and Cian Grendon, led the team with bone-chilling tackles only playing roughly 60 minutes of the match.

The depth proved to be at no weakness as several freshman entered the match creating even larger impacts which awed the audience.

The Falcons are now heading on the road for the next few weeks playing one of the top teams in D1AA, Middle Tennessee State University and D1A's power-house Davenport University.

There will be a team heading to Cincinnati, Ohio to face-off against Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and another team heading to Berea, Ohio to face-off against the young Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets in this weekend's matchups.

As always, keep informed by following the Falcon Rugby squad on Twitter (@NDCFalconRugby), Instagram (@NDCRugby), and Facebook (Notre Dame College Men's Rugby).