Kutztown, Pa. - The Queens University of Charlotte men's rugby team traveled to Kutztown in a must-win game as they looked to climb the conference standings.

The Golden Bears weren't going to make it easy as they opened the match with two early tries, jumping out to a 12-0 lead within the first 10 minutes.

Queens made things difficult for themselves early, missing several tackles and struggling to find their rhythm. However, momentum began to shift when the Royals forced a knock-on and flyhalf Hilton Olivier kicked deep into the corner. The forwards secured the ensuing lineout, and the backs finished off the movement with a try down the middle.

Kutztown responded quickly with another score to push the lead to 19-5. However, the Royals began to settle into the match, leaning on their powerful maul. CJ Thompson powered over for two tries, both converted by Olivier, giving Queens their first lead at 22-19.

Just before halftime, a costly knock-on gave Kutztown one more opportunity. The Golden Bears capitalized, scoring in the corner to take a 27-22 lead into the break.

The second half turned into a defensive battle through much of the third quarter. The Royals continued to press and were eventually rewarded, scoring twice more to retake the lead. After a strong attacking sequence, Josh Schwartz crossed the line and Olivier added the conversion to make it 33-32 in favor of Queens.

Kutztown answered right back, breaking through the middle to score and regain the lead 39-33 with just five minutes left in the match. However, the Royals refused to back down. Following a penalty, Queens kicked to the corner and turned once again to their dominant forwards. This time, Josh Schwartz powered over from the maul, and Olivier's conversion put Queens back in front, 40-39, with three minutes to play.

The Royals secured the ensuing kickoff and methodically worked the ball down the field. Another penalty gave them a chance to go to the corner again. Off the lineout, Queens drew another advantage, but Olivier spotted space and picked from the base of the ruck, darting under the posts for the try. He added the conversion to seal a dramatic 47-39 victory.

With the win, the Royals moved into second place in the conference standings and will face another must-win matchup next weekend at Walsh University. The winner will earn a spot in the ARC Conference Championship.

After the match, head coach Tyree Reed reflected on his team's performance:

"We made the match hard for ourselves -- too many missed tackles and a slow start allowed Kutztown to stay in it. But our forwards carried us and helped settle the game. In the end, it took the whole team to finish strong and come away with the win. I'm proud of the way we fought and dug ourselves out of a hole, but we have to be better next week if we want another win."