Rugby New York (10-5) wraps up the regular season against the New England Free Jacks (13-2) at Veterans Memorial Stadium in a 7PM clash this Friday.
New York enters the primetime matchup coming off a historic victory against Old Glory DC last Sunday. Scoring 59 points, New York set a franchise record for points scored in a match. Along with the franchise record, the match also set an MLR record as New York and Old Glory DC combined for 108 points.
It was New York’s 10th victory of the season; a feat they’ve accomplished in all three (full) seasons they’ve competed in the league for. The win also allowed New York to clinch a playoff spot for the third time in the three seasons.
All playoff sports have been settled heading into the last week of MLR regular season play, but some seeding positions are to be determined. New York can still capture the second seed in the Eastern Conference which would give them home advantage in round one of the playoffs. New York and Rugby ATL both have 52 points, but Rugby ATL has the highest aggregate points differential advantage for the second seed. The two teams are confirmed to meet each other in round one. For the match to take place in Hoboken, New York needs a win and a Rugby ATL loss. However, if Rugby ATL were to win but not get the bonus point, New York would need to win with the bonus point to clinch the second seed.
New England is coming off a big victory of their own against the NOLA Gold. Their 57-5 victory clinched the first seed in the Eastern Conference as they stand with 61 points. The win also helped New England secure the best overall record and point total in the entire league.
New York is looking for their first victory of the season against New England having played two tightly contested matches against them this season. Under the lights, this game is sure to have a lot of fireworks.
By Jason Piccolomini.
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