Challenger Bracket Semi Finals: Florida 31, North Carolina State 5

Florida will move on for one more match after smashing North Carolina State in the challenger round semi finals, 31-5.

Florida scored three times in the first half, with Michael Breske, Robert Roux and Jordan Manning accounting for one try each, and Lucas Baistrocchi picking up all three conversions for the 21-0 halftime lead. Matias Groetaers and Brett Stubbs each scored in the second half to pile on in the rout.

Brandon Alvey’s try at the end of regulation broke up the shutout attempt by Florida.

Florida will face Maryland in the final round of the challenger bracket.

The Gators took the pool match against Maryland on Saturday, winning by a 19-7 score.

Challenger Bracket: North Carolina State 22, Army 7

North Carolina State’s stay in Philadelphia will continue for at least one more match. The Wolfpack, the fourth seed in Pool C, put together a sound performance against Army in the final match of the challenger bracket quarterfinals, winning by a score of 22-7.

N.C. State took a 17-0 lead in to the half. Bryan Maxwell opened the scoring with a try and his own conversion, and Dominick Goldston scored twice with a try before the half, but missed his conversion attempts each time. The second half was more about controlling the possessions rather than scoring

N.C. State will face Florida in the second round of the challenger bracket later Sunday. The winner will advance to the final round of the challenger bracket to play either Maryland or Oklahoma.

Match 21: Arizona 38, North Carolina State 0

Arizona had little trouble in their third match of the day. The Wildcats looked strong all day long and finished their day by turning aside North Carolina State in the final Saturday match for each, 38-0.

For the Wildcats it was more Brett Thompson and Peter Tiberio. Thompson scored twice in the first three minutes of the match, and Tiberio converted three conversions in the first half as Arizona took a 21-0 lead in to the break. It was more than enough, as Arizona continued to pile on in the second half.

Arizona will be the top seed out of Pool C in the championship rounds on Sunday. the Wildcats will face the second seed out of Pool D, either Army or Navy. (to be determined). North Carolina State will continue in the challenger bracket, and will play either Army or Navy in the first round on Sunday.

Match 14: Oklahoma 21, North Carolina State 10

With both squads coming off losses in their first matches of the day, neither Oklahoma nor North Carolina State could  afford a second straight loss. Oklahoma picked up a key victory thanks to a late score to beat N.C. State, 14-10.

Bobby Impson opened the scoring late in the first half by giving Oklahoma a 7-0 lead after a try and a conversion, but N.C. State’s Brandon Mosiman made sure the Wolfpack would put a dent on the board before halftime. A missed conversion kept the Sooners on top at the break. Midway through the second half N.C. State’s Dylan Martin notched a try to give the Wolfpack a 10-7 lead, but Impson put the Sooners back on top with a long try and a successful conversion in the final minutes. After the whistle N.C. State looked to have a scoring opportunity, but Oklahoma returned a turnover for a try to cap the game at 21-10 after a successful conversion.

Oklahoma moves on to play Texas in Match 22 at 6:21 p.m. The winner of that match-up will advance to the championship round on Sunday. The loser will move to the Challenger rounds. N.C. State will play Arizona at 6:00 p.m. The Wildcats have two dominating victories today with blowout wins against Oklahoma and Texas.

Match 6: Texas 17, North Carolina State 14

Arizona took a 14-5 lead in to halftime thanks to early tries by Bryan Maxwell and Dominick Goldston and two successful conversions by Maxwell. Texas scored late in the first half to cut in to the lead with a try by Noah Villalobos, but a missed conversion kept the Longhorns down 14-5.

The Longhorns picked up an early try with Eric Luikens running up the middle of the field and making the conversion to pull Texas within two of the Wolfpack. Texas took their first lead of the match following a long run by Taylor Hayes, who showed a good burst of speed and had the angle as he moved from left to right on the pitch. The try gave Texas a late 17-14 lead following a missed conversion off the side of the foot.

Texas will take on Arizona (1-0), who defeated Oklahoma (0-1) in Match 5 (31-12), in Match 13 at 2:34. NC State takes on Oklahoma in Match 14 at 2:57.