Hounds and Warriors are lifted during a lineout in Utah's 14-10 win over the Chicago Hounds March 5 at SeatGeek Stadium. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Rugby Report | Hounds drop home debut to Utah
By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer
Caleb Strum called it “electric.”
The Chicago Hounds right wing scored the team’s first try in SeatGeek Stadium history at the 30-minute mark to help give the expansion team a 10-0 lead over visiting Utah.
Hounds officials estimated the crowd at just under 4,000 and the fans were making all sorts of noise. For a while, all was right in the world.
“It was electric,” Strum said. “I absolutely loved it. It’s definitely going to concrete my memories in [Major League Rugby] and memories, period.
“I have to thank the boys for getting me to that point and getting me to that position. It was an amazing moment.”
The bad news is that the Hounds stopped scoring after the conversion and dropped a 14-10 defensive battle to the Warriors on March 5.
Utah (2-1-0) scored 14 points in the final 44 minute to salt away the victory.
Fans at SeatGeek Stadium had plenty to cheer about in the first half hour of the Chicago Hounds’ home debut. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Chicago (0-2-0) had a few chances to take the lead in the closing minutes, including a run by Strum.
Still, the Hounds improved after opening the season with a 42-27 road loss to Old Glory DC on Feb. 18, in which the Hounds gave up a score in the first minute.
“There was a different mentality and a different vibe,” Strum said. “We didn’t come out as soft as we did the last game. We had a punch-first mentality, and we were bold and hungry. Wen went out and set the pace early.
“We did a good job with that. Once again, we didn’t come out on top but for sure a big step up.”
The University of Alabama club player, who hails from Virginia, was with Austin last year and was happy to be picked up by Chicago. Even though the Hounds are an expansion team, there are some experts who think this team can make some noise in its first year.
“I’m biased, but I personally think we have more than just a chance to be good,” Strum said. “It is always rough for an expansion team and we’re scrambling and fighting against time.
“But the amount of talent that is in the room, it’s unbelievable. I’m thankful every day because I have dudes to my left and my right that I can learn from day in and day out.”
Luke Carty had a penalty kick at the six-minute mark and a conversion at the 31-minute mark for the rest of the Hounds’ scoring. Utah played a man down for a portion of the second half, but Chicago couldn’t take advantage.
Painful debut
Julian Dominguez, with whom the team reached terms with on Feb. 27, started at left wing against the Warriors.
He left the game in the second half. After the game, his left arm was in a sling and he was icing his shoulder.
Dominguez was a member of Austin last year, helping the team to a Western Conference-best 12-4 mark. Prior to that, the Argentinian spent two seasons with New Orleans.
Up next
The Hounds host Toronto (0-2-0) at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 11 at SeatGeek Stadium.
The Arrows opened the season with a tight 17-10 setback to Rugby ATL to open the season and were crushed, 39-3, by the New York Ironworkers on Feb. 26 before a Week 3 bye.
The Arrows lone points against the Ironworkers came off the foot of 20-year-old Kobe Faust with a penalty goal.
Chicago’s Bryce Campbell, right, collides with the Utah defense in a 14-10 loss on March 5. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Local News
Pro Soccer Report | Red Stars seeking max points in quest for playoffs
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer With three games to go and in last place, the Chicago Red Stars are in a position to be spoilers. But in this unpredictable NWSL season in which teams are bunched up in the standings, the Red Stars are in a position where they can play more than…
Cross Country | Stagg’s Barham having an adventure in September
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Stagg senior runner Luke Barham has experienced a unique September. Barham finished third in the Richard Dust meet at North Creek Meadow in Chicago Heights on Sept. 2 with a time of 15:52.81. A week later, he placed 26th place but set a personal-best time of 15:19.30 in…
Area Sports Roundup | Hoops powers invited to December showcases
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The invitations are in. As basketball coaches and athletic directors put the finishing touches on the 2023-24 schedules, some of the teams in the Southwest Regional Publishing coverage area have picked up invitations to a pair of prestigious hoops tournaments in December. The Chicago Elite Classic takes place…
It’s been a rewarding experience
Spread the love. By Patti Tyznik Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • [email protected] I started writing this column one year ago this month. It has been such a rewarding experience, to say the least. Along the way I have met many wonderful, caring people who volunteer their time to community events and…
Kaegi’s actions should be scrutinized
Spread the love. By Ray Hanania Last year, a report was issued that showed that a major tax burden would slam commercial properties in Cook County. Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi reassessed properties in 2021, claiming it would ease the burden on homeowners. But in fact, it has not. In fact, at Kaegi’s direction, assessments…
SAFE-T Act problems aren’t over
Spread the love. By Rich Miller . Hannah Meisel’s recent report for Capitol News Illinois included a line that jumped out at me: “Per state law — which hasn’t been updated since 1949 — only counties with 35,000 or more residents are required to set up offices of public defender.” According to information posted on…
Indiana Wesleyan scrapes by Saint Xavier after missed 2-pt conversion
Spread the loveBy Mike Walsh Correspondent Life is about choices. Sometimes, the result is to our benefit; sometimes it is not. In Saint Xavier’s loss to visiting Indiana Wesleyan on Sept. 16 at George R. Deaton Field in Mount Greenwood, head coach Mike Feminis was presented with an important decision to make with his team…
High School Football Wrap: Week 4 | St. Laurence has Ball in win over Providence
Spread the loveBy Mike Walsh Correspondent Providence has won 10 state championships and finished runner-up four times, including last season in Class 4A. So how did St. Laurence’s student body celebrate the Vikings’ second-ever victory over the Celtics, 31-24, last Friday night in Burbank? With an old-fashioned field-storming. St. Laurence senior Aaron Ball scored the…
Sandburg shreds Lockport defense, block last-second FG attempt to secure win
Spread the loveBy Randy Whalen Correspondent Anthony Shelton burst on the scene a year ago in a big Sandburg win over Lockport. The Eagles junior last week solidified himself as a top quarterback in the South Suburbs with another win over the Porters. Shelton threw for 300 yards and a pair of touchdown passes as Sandburg…
Chicago Bears honor Stagg’s Nero, Gilmore
Spread the loveBy Mike Walsh Correspondent The Chicago Bears named Stagg head football coach Colt Nero and Chargers senior Lebarion Gilmore as the Chicago Bears Coach of the Week and the Chicago Bears High School All-Star for Week 3 of the 2023 season. The honors came after Stagg defeated visiting Belleville West 24-0 in a…
Neighbors
As state Supreme Court weighs another BIPA lawsuit, lawmakers mull child data privacy framework
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois [email protected] In Springfield on Thursday, the medical industry went to court. The Illinois Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a pair of class action suits brought by two suburban nurses, Lucille Mosby and Yana Mazya, who allege their employers violated the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act, a landmark 2008…
State’s high court opens new interactive learning center
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – In 1946, the Illinois Supreme Court heard a case that would eventually become a landmark in American legal history. The public school district in Champaign, like many other districts in Illinois at the time, allowed a group of local religious leaders to use their schools to…
Biden administration responds to calls from Pritzker, other leaders, for help in migrant crisis
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Department of Homeland Security will speed up the processing of work authorizations for asylum seekers and extend Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelan migrants, actions that could help thousands of migrants who have arrived in Illinois in recent months. Those moves were announced by the Biden…
Former Illinois State Police trooper who pleaded guilty in relation to deadly crash postpones hearing
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] Matt Mitchell, the former Illinois State Police trooper who caused a high-speed, distracted-driving crash that killed sisters Kelli and Jessica Uhl, has asked to delay his Sept. 20 hearing for the reinstatement of his driver’s license. Henry Haupt, a spokesperson for Illinois Secretary of State Alex Giannoulias, said…
As SAFE-T Act goes live, murder suspects previously eligible to post bond are held in jail
By BETH HUNDSDORFER & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] In courtrooms around the state early this week, judges conducted the first hearings under a new system that determines whether a defendant will be jailed while awaiting trial based on dangerousness and risk of fleeing prosecution, rather than their ability to post bail. The abolition…
New State Police rules for assault weapons permits will take effect Oct. 1
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinoisans who own weapons that can no longer be purchased or sold in the state under its new assault weapons ban will soon be able to register those weapons so they can legally keep them. The law, officially known as the Protect Illinois Communities Act, bans…
Ahead of cash bail’s end, state’s replacement pretrial justice system takes shape
By JERRY NOWICKI & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] Beginning Monday, state courts in Illinois will be prohibited from jailing individuals who are accused – but not convicted – of crimes simply because they cannot afford to post bail while they await trial. Monetary bond will be abolished in favor of a system that…
Disparately resourced public defenders prepare for the end of cash bail in Illinois
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] Illinois on Monday will become the first state to fully abolish cash bail through an act of the legislature — a major criminal justice overhaul spurred by the advocacy of a progressive faction of the Democratic Party that’s grown increasingly powerful in recent years. The reform goes into…
Illinois House Speaker’s staff could test limits of Workers’ Rights Amendment
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Efforts to form a union by staff in House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s office could provide an early and unexpected test of the new Workers’ Rights Amendment to the Illinois Constitution. Brady Burden, a staffer in the speaker’s office who is part of the organizing committee…
‘Thunderdomes of controversy and strife:’ Giannoulias testifies before U.S. Senate committee
By JENNIFER FULLER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias was in Washington, D.C. this week to testify before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee regarding a new state law aimed at deterring book bans. LISTEN TO THIS STORY: Capitol News Illinois · IL Secretary of State testifies before U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee…
