Old Glory DC extended its perfect record against Anthem RC to five wins, running in four unanswered first-half tries to take control before holding off a second-half Anthem response to win 31-14 in Charlotte.
It was a tough opening half for the hosts. Max Schumacher crossed inside the first ten minutes, and Jason Robertson's conversion put the visitors 7-0 up before Anthem had truly settled. Perry Humphreys finished on the wing in the 26th minute to make it 12-0, then Old Glory went through the gears in the final ten minutes of the half, Kirby Myhill drove over on 31, Robertson converted, and John Rizzo crossed three minutes later as Robertson added his third conversion of the half. Anthem went in 0–26 at the break with serious questions to answer.
The second half told a different story. Will Leonard crossed two minutes after the restart, Keane converting to get Anthem on the board at 7–26. Momentum appeared to shift further when Johan Momsen was adjudged to have crossed, only for the score to be called back, Anthem unable to catch a break on a difficult afternoon. Old Glory made them pay, Ross Depperschmidt extending the lead on 62 minutes with Robertson converting, before Conner Mooneyham gave the home crowd something to cheer with a try on 69, Keane adding the extras. The afternoon ended on a sour note when Jordan Trainor was shown a red card on 75 minutes, leaving Cavalieri's side to see out the final stages with 14 men.
The result, Anthem's third defeat in four matches, keeps Old Glory unbeaten and surging up the Eastern Conference table ahead of their long-awaited home opener next week. For Anthem, the first-half capitulation is becoming a concern: they've now been outscored 52–0 across the opening 40 minutes of their two home losses this season.
Scorers
Anthem RC:
Tries: W. Leonard (47'), C. Mooneyham (69').
Conversions: K. Keane (47', 70').
Red card: J. Trainor (75').
Old Glory DC:
Tries: M. Schumacher (8'), P. Humphreys (26'), K. Myhill (31'), J. Rizzo (34'), R. Depperschmidt (62').
Conversions: J. Robertson (9', 32', 34', 63').