Photo courtesy of Iowa Central Athletics: Takudzwa Musingwini moves up the field for Iowa Central during the Rhino Bowl in Houston, Tex.

HOUSTON, Tex. — The Iowa Central rugby squad got everything but a win out of their Rhino Bowl experience in a matchup with Siena College on Saturday.

The Tritons erased deficits of 14-0 early and 38-19 in the second half to gain the upper hand down the stretch, but the Saints had one final answer in a dramatic 45-43 victory inside SaberCats Stadium.

“I really want to give our guys credit for leaving it all on the field,” ICCC head coach Brent Nelson said. “That’s really all you can ask for: that the guys don’t leave anything behind.

“Not everybody gets to win, and that’s OK. I love that about sports. I’m at peace with the team learning lessons from a loss.”

Takudzwa Musingwini had three tries and four conversions to spearhead the Tritons’ attack. Koen Webb fed Musingwini with a kick pass in the 75th minute to cap a 24-0 run that put Iowa Central ahead 43-38.

“We were against a pretty stiff wind in the first half, but that’s really what we wanted,” Nelson said. “We knew we’d have the wind in the second half, and that our fitness would help us out if we got down.

“That played to our favor, as we scripted. We were behind, but we were OK and poised to mount a comeback.”

Siena — a four-year NCAA Div. I school located in Loudonville, N.Y. — came up clutch in the closing moments with the game-winning try and conversion on the final possession of the match.

Gavin Oleson contributed two tries for the Tritons, with Connor Price and Jonah Goetsch adding one each.

Harry Ryder of Siena — a member of the Liberty Rugby Conference — was named the Rhino Bowl’s most valuable player.

“Don’t get me wrong — this loss stings. But I’m very proud of these guys,” Nelson said. “They’re resilient and dedicated, so we’re excited to see what they’ll do going forward into this spring (for the 7s season) and beyond.”

Nelson made note of his program’s support system as the fall campaign came to an end.

“Thank you to NCR (National Collegiate Rugby) for allowing us to accept the (bowl) bid, and a huge thank you to our administration, which continues to show their support,” Nelson said. “Personally, I also want to thank my assistant coaches, Joe Lippert and Quinton Gilligan, for their dedication to these young men.

“As for our team, I want to thank them for their sacrifice, grit and effort this fall. They are my family, and I am so proud of them.”

Webb served as Iowa Central’s captain.

The Tritons also competed in the inaugural Rhino Bowl three years ago against Wheeling University.