NIC rugby club plays first-ever game on NIC soccer field

North Idaho College’s rugby club finally got what it’s been pushing for Saturday, a rugby game on Eisenwinter Field, NIC’s soccer field.

After trying and trying to get permission to play a rugby game on the soccer field the last few years, the club finally got their permission granted and played its first game on the field ever.

Jim White, the captain of NIC’s rugby club, said they’ve been wanting to play on the soccer field to let people know that NIC has a rugby club. He also thought it would be “awesome” to play an actual home game on campus.

Usually, NIC practices either behind the Student Union Building or at Person Field on 15th Street and Garden Avenue. The NIC rugby club, which is comprised of NIC students and staff members, mostly plays its games at Person Field also or at one of the area high schools.

NIC played Whitman College (Walla Walla, Wash.) Saturday and beat it 27-25. White said the Cardinals never trailed at any point in the game. NIC scored five tries and one conversion. Cale Coast, “Ders” Petersen, Joseph Middlemore, Aristo Arana and White all scored tries, which are worth five points and Middlemore added a conversion, which is worth two points.

“Overall, we did pretty good,” White said. “We kind of let it get away in the second half but we held them. The guys tried hard.”

White said some of the Coeur d’Alene Osprey players played with Whitman because they needed some substitutes due to injuries.

White said they’ve played Whitman “quite a few times” in the past. White also said NIC only plays four-year schools because there aren’t any community colleges in the area that have rugby teams.

“We do pretty well,” White said. “We don’t win every game because the difference (between a two-year and four-year school) but the better competition is better for us.”

After the game, NIC hosted, what White called, a “social,” in which the home team brings food for the road team. That took place in the SUB.

The Cardinals play Eastern Washington University Saturday at 1 in Cheney, Wash., and then they play Saturday, Nov. 16 against the University of Idaho in Moscow.