GARRETT ANDERSON | Reporter

After avoiding back-to-back losses with a 26-7 victory over Army last weekend, men’s rugby hopes to win its second straight match Saturday.

The Lions will face Arkansas State University for the second time this season. Lindenwood lost the last matchup 29-23 on Feb. 9.

Last season, the Lions won both their matches against Arkansas State by the score of 24-5 on Feb. 10 and 36-32 on March. 3.

Lions sophomore Emmanuel Albert says he’s confident the team will be more prepared for Arkansas State this time.

“Last game they came out strong and we weren’t ready for the intensity they brought,” he said. “This time around we have a good threshold set for the game, especially after Army, we are all fired up to go out there and win.”

Head coach Josh Macy said new starters will make the matchup different from the last match against Arkansas State.

“We’re a much better team now than we played (and lost) before,” he said. “We’ve got four new starters this match compared to the last.”

Macy said the match will be won in the trenches.

“They’re a physical team so we need to be able to wiggle into those spaces on either side of the heart of their defense,” he said.

Macy said field position will be pioital if the Lions are victorious.

“We hope we can keep them in our own end with our kicking game,” he said. “We’ve shown the ability to do with Army, and it’s much easier to play in the other team’s half of the field.”

The Lions will face Arkansas State at Hunter Stadium Saturday at 4 p.m.