After four years of hard work and dedication, the SF State rugby team hosted and won its first home game on Saturday at Treasure Island by pounding out a mighty 55-5 victory against University of the Pacific.

"It was a culmination of the last three years," rugby club president Chris MacDougall said. "The way we played was amazing."

This accomplishment was made all the more sweet by the fact that the team has been a student-organized and student-run venture since its founding.

MacDougall was one of nine Gators to score during the game. He posted two tries while Iggy Palmieri, Joe Sifa, Robin Villeda, Paul Sladek, Steven Goldin and Andrew Ritter each scored once.

The Gators lost to UOP 31-24 back in February in their first game of the season. Since that loss, the team has been hungry for payback.

"You could feel the intensity," said club vice president Ritter of the vibe on the rugby field.

The team also had help defensively from Brendan O'Conner and Alex Brown, while Jamie Gunton scored two conversions.

"Rugby is all about teamwork," Ritter said. "We really showed what rugby was all about."

Rugby team newcomer Hiro Suzuki grabbed post-game honors as "Man of the Match" with one try and three conversions, scoring 11 points for the Gators in all.

Suzuki said he was chosen as Man of the Match because of his "continuous communication" on the field.

"But if we could have one or two more guys who do the same job, the game will be so much easier. The rugby field is too wide for one player's voice."

Suzuki played a huge role in the training and strategizing during the weeks leading up to the victory. He introduced new training techniques and refined the team's form during actions such as "scrumming," a rugby term for settling penalties where eight of the team members fight for possession of the ball.

MacDougall appreciated the Gator fans in the stands cheering the team on.

"In my opinion, they are as much a part of the club as anyone else."

The team is going to "keep with the same kind of work ethic" when preparing for future games, MacDougall said.

"We played like the score was 0-0 the entire time," Ritter said.

SF State rugby's next scheduled game is April 25, at University of San Francisco.