By: Johnny Woo
FAIRFAX, Va. – Old Glory DC came within a point of handing the Chicago Hounds their first loss of the season Saturday afternoon, falling 33-32 in a back-and-forth thriller at George Mason Stadium.
Despite the heartbreaking result, Old Glory secured a valuable losing bonus point, moving back into fourth place in the MLR standings entering the final week of the regular season while proving capable of competing with the league’s best.
DC matched Chicago punch for punch for nearly 80 minutes and built a 13-point second-half advantage before the Hounds rallied back late to remain perfect at 9-0.
Chicago struck first through Nathan den Hoedt in the fifth minute, but Old Glory quickly responded.
Wing John Rizzo ignited the home crowd with a pair of first-half tries, turning an early deficit into a 12-7 advantage. After standing strong against one of the league’s most physical forward packs, Old Glory continued to capitalize on its momentum.
Midway through the opening half, Jason Robertson sliced through the Chicago defense before connecting with flanker Cory Daniel on the offload for DC’s third try of the afternoon. Robertson’s conversion extended the lead to 19-7 and gave Old Glory control of the match.
The Hounds answered in the closing minutes of the half through hooker Theo Fourie, trimming the deficit to 19-14 at the break.
Old Glory wasted little time reasserting itself after halftime. Kirby Myhill crossed over just minutes into the second half, restoring a two-score advantage and pushing the lead to 26-14.
Chicago responded through another Fourie try, but Robertson’s boot kept DC firmly in command. Back-to-back penalty goals stretched the advantage to 32-19 with just over 20 minutes remaining.
At that point, an upset appeared within reach.
The undefeated Hounds, however, showed why they sit atop the league standings.
Chicago leaned on its powerful forward pack and mounted an aggressive late comeback. Mason Flesch scored twice in a seven-minute span, while Chris Hilsenbeck converted both tries to erase the deficit and give the visitors a 33-32 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Old Glory refused to go away.
DC generated multiple attacking opportunities deep inside Chicago territory in the closing stages and pushed the Hounds through an extended defensive stand near their own try line. But a handling error just past the 80-minute mark prevented Old Glory from finding the score that would have completed the upset.
While the result ended in disappointment, the performance reinforced Old Glory’s ability to compete with the league’s best at a critical point in the season.
The bonus point proved equally important. Combined with results elsewhere in the league, the point lifted Old Glory back into fourth place heading into next weekend’s regular-season finale at home against Anthem RC, with a playoff berth firmly within reach.
After pushing the league’s last unbeaten team to the brink, Old Glory now turns its attention to a match with its playoff future on the line.