Last Saturday, Sept. 10, the UW-Eau Claire men’s rugby team faced a grueling match against Division 1 ranked UW-Stout.

According to Brady Olsen, captain of the team, the match went very well, although they didn’t win. Being that Stout was very difficult team, they still walked off the fields proud and satisfied with how they had played.

There were new members on the team with little experience, and even though it was very tough competition, they learned what they needed to work on.

By holding first practices in front of Towers Hall, the men’s rugby team has gained a lot of new members this year.

There are 15 new players this year, making over 30 guys on the team. This has led to “the biggest rookie class in my 4 years here,” Olsen said.

The men have had great practices all this week so they’re feeling confident about the game against Michigan Tech (Mich.) this Saturday.

UWEC has played this team before so they have the advantage of familiarity, not to mention the advantage of the game being home. The game will start at 1 p.m. at the Bollinger Field Pitch.