NEWS

Zach Pangelinan – Original SaberCat

Written by Joe Harvey | Photos by Big Shots Snapshots

On Friday night when Robbie Povey stepped up to take a penalty with the clock in the red against the Seattle Seawolves, history was on the line.

An original Major League Rugby team, through kicking those three points, he could send the Houston SaberCats to the playoffs for the first time.

Just minutes before, Zach Pangelinan had scored the bonus point try that put he and his teammates within touching distance of the two-time MLR champions thanks to the conversion.

It was following multiple offsides by the Seawolves and with AJ Alatimu having been shown a yellow card as a result of that culmination of those penalties, all associated with the SaberCats knowing what Povey’s kick meant.

A losing bonus point was all the side needed to shut the door on the San Diego Legion, whose regular season would come to a conclusion the following day.

Pangelinan stood on his own, not looking as his teammate lined up the penalty, it’s meaning to him quite possibly far outstripping that of any of his teammates.

As the only remaining player from the SaberCats’ 2018 season, the emotion was plain for all to see on the 33-year-old’s face as he knew for the first time he would be reaching the postseason.