The Brock men's rugby team attempted a comeback late in the game, however the Waterloo Warriors prevailed 35-20 at Brock Alumni Field on Friday.

The Badgers dropped to a record of 3-2 as the Warriors (3-1) leapfrogged Brock in the OUA West division standings.

The Warriors led 21-5 at the half as Adam Melia scored the Badgers' lone try.

Brock's offence turned up the heat in the autumn air during the second half.

"We dug ourselves a hole and we had to respond," said head coach Phil Sullivan. "It took us a little long to respond to how tough it was going to be."

Melia found the end zone again in the second, including Mitch Wilson and Steven Commerford.

Melia, a 6-foot-3 international student from Ireland, was the Player of the Match, according to Sullivan.

"Adam was the best player on the field for both teams," said Sullivan. "He's an excellent player who is always in the thick of the action. This sport is in his DNA. It's as if a hockey player from Canada went over to play in the United Kingdom."

Sophomore Mitch Santilli, who played Rugby Sevens for Canada, also suited up in his first game after coming back from serious injury. Santilli served a player-coach during his recovery time. 

"Mitch looked fantastic, but it's always tough coming back from injury so we've put together a process for him to return in the right way," said Sullivan. "He played 30 minutes today and had a long run at the end that was almost a try. He's a great asset to have on the field."

For Waterloo, Harrison Cooper, Alex Bukva, Mike Appiah-Kubi, Philip Murphy and Paul Schroeder each scored a try. Mitch Voralek recorded five convert.

Up next, the Badgers (3-2) travel to Guelph to face the division-leading Gryphons on Friday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. to wrap up the regular season.