There was a certain amount of intensity in the eye of every player set to play the first rugby match of the 2005 season.

The contest matched the Dayton Flyers against the Redhawks of Miami.

Under the lights of Stuart Field, the game began with the drone of bagpipes authenticating the atmosphere.

The play was deadlocked for the better part of the first half. The Flyers dominated the scrums within the first ten minutes, winning the ball almost every time.

The Redhawks, however, were the first to record points. Miami added on another three points with a placed kick making the score 10-0.

Dayton responded late in the half with a kick of their own making the score at half time 10-3.

The muddy and beaten players made their way back on to the field with Miami scoring the first points of the second half propelling them to a 13-3 lead.

Ten minutes into the half Dayton started their comeback. They recorded seven important points to reduce the Miami lead to three.

'It was good to see that we didn't give up, and every last one of us played until the end,' said junior David Byrns, who contributed five points of his own.

The game was deadlocked at a score of Miami 13, Dayton 10 until the final minute when Miami put the game out of reach with a late try and conversion to boost the score to 20-10 in favor of the Redhawks.

The teams continually showed respect for one another throughout the match. They spent the better part of 90 minutes beating each other with reckless abandon, but play never got out of hand.

The Flyers next home game is Oct. 1 against the University of Cincinnati.