WILKES-BARRE, PA (April 14, 2019) -- The men's rugby team took a road trip to Pittsburgh for their final NSCRO 7s tournament of the year on Saturday, April 13. The Monarchs went undefeated in group play, but fell in the quarterfinals of the playoff.

Against St. Vincent College, the Monarchs were led by one familiar face and one player who appeared in the box score for the first time this season. Joey Ferrone kept up his dominant play with a try against the Bearcats, and Anthony Zarola scored his first try of the season in the contest. The Monarchs needed only that pair of scores, as they defeated St. Vincent 14-7.

King's kept up their defensively sound ways in their matchup against Carnegie Mellon. Skyler Smith led the way, scoring a try in each of the two halves. Ian Prator contributed an additional try to go along with a pair of conversions in relief of Gavin Gagliardi. King's was able to hold off any possible comeback attempt from the Tartans, winning 19-7.

Smith continued to roll over his opponents and lead the Monarch offense with a pair of tries against Ithaca. Noah Cusatis got back on track with a tally of his own in the first half. Each of the three scores was necessary, in addition to Gagliardi's trio of conversions, as King's just barely eked out the 21-20 victory.

The Monarchs' run ended in the quarterfinals of tournament play. Despite an exceptional effort from Gagliardi, who scored all 7 of Kings' points, the Monarchs came up short against Ohio Wesleyan. With their 21-7 defeat, King's was sent home without a bid to Nationals in tow.
Smith led the Monarchs with 4 tries on the day. The Monarchs will participate in one more MARC 7s tournament this year at Neumann University on Saturday, April 27.