BRECKENRIDGE - Saturday's Mountain League rugby match between the Gentlemen of the Blue Goose and their rivals from Vail had everything these two sides have taught us to expect when they get together: blood, a few wild fists, plenty of healthy hitting and, yes, a Vail victory.

Except, this wasn't as easy as Vail has come to expect over the years.

The Goose took an early 3-0 lead and looked poised to make a run at a its first win over the Blue and White since 1996; then visiting Vail scored 26 of the next 33 points on its way to a 26-15 victory at Kingdom Park.

"I thought it was an equal game today," Goose coach Peter Shafroth said, "and I know they felt under pressure a lot of the game, and they've never felt that from us before. That felt good."

Although much of the talk in the Breckenridge-based Gentlemen's postgame huddle characterized the match as a shoulda-won, the home side also understood that no victory will ever be easy against Vail, the two-time defending Mountain League champs.