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Taku Mizutani Named Tetley's English Ale Man-of-the-Match Location: Memorial Hall, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, PA Date: Saturday, March 17, 2001 Result: B-side PWRFC B 9 Old Blue B 10 Referee: Dan Dohony P-W's second side came a few feet away from victory when a last-minute penalty goal fell short and let Old Blue slip by, 10-9. Given dryer conditions the story would likely have been much different. The first half was a defensive deadlock, with both sides struggling to keep a handle on the wet ball. Despite several big breaks by elusive fullback Taku Mizutani, P-W was unable to tally a try. P-W finally got on the board three minutes into the second half when flyhalf Brian Fischel (previously known as "Brian from Boston") kicked a penalty goal after Old Blue was called for going over the top. Fischel extended the P-W lead to 6-0 with another penalty goal seven minutes later, following an offside call. Old Blue anwered with a penalty goal of its own in the 55th minute, taking advantage of a P-W offside infringement to put the score at 6-3. The score went to 9-3 after Fischel connected on his third penalty goal of the afternoon in the 65th minute and P-W looked to be cruising. But 10 minutes later Old Blue forced the ball deep into P-W territory, secured the ball in a maul and pushed-over for the only try of the match. The convertion attempt was good and P-W saw itself down 10-9 with five minutes to go. Behind the hard running of props Marc Sanders and Eric "Grandpa" Ebert P-W drove into position to score and earned a penalty kick in the 77th minute. In the heavy mud, the 40-meter kick from a tough angle was too much for Fischel to overcome and P-W remained behind by one with three minutes to go. A final burst, highlighted by breaks from outside center Louis Tulio and rookie winger George Harris, gave P-W fans hope, but in the end they weren't enough and Old Blue went home with the slim victory. Mizutani, whose long breaks and sure tackling we're the game's highlight, was named the Tetley's English Ale Man-of-the-Match. In a footnote, scrumhalves Chuck Tarloski and Bobby Cassidy saw their first action for P-W on Saturday. PWRFC B roster vs. Old Blue B 1 Eric "Grandpa" Ebert 2 Jeff Hoobler 3 Marc Sanders 4 Matt Pines 5 Jeremy Quinn (captain) 6 Dave Gasan 7 Lex McCurry 8 Jarl Ginsberg 9 Chuck Tarloski 10 Brian Fischel 11 Joe "Doc" Eichinger 12 Steve "Skillet" Mattia 13 Louis Tulio 14 Dan "Deon" Kateusz 15 Taku Mizutani Substitutes: Mark Nuttal (second row), Eric Delahaye (flanker), Tom O'Malley (second row), Bobby Cassidy (scrumhalf), George Harris (wing), Phillip the Kiwi (center). Michael Badger, Club Scribe