Reprinted from the Massachusetts Daily Collegian / By Myles Donato, Collegian Staff

The Massachusetts men’s club rugby team secured an important 24-19 victory against Yale. On the backs of the team’s forwards, the Minutemen (3-0) thwarted a late Bulldogs (2-1) push to hold on to the lead. 

UMass’ goal line offense starred in the contest, accounting for all three of its tries after multiple mucks just in front of the in-goal area. The forwards were crucial in fighting for extra real estate to get points on the board.  

Just a couple of minutes into the game, forward Liam Concannon forced his way through multiple Bulldog tacklers for a UMass try. 

“You got to come away with points when you get down into that tight area, UMass head coach Philip Ciccarelli said. “If you get down there and you’re not getting away with points, it’s gonna be a long day.” 

Evidently, it was not a long day for the Minutemen offense, as in the second half they scored another pair of close range tries. Kadin Phimister and AJ Ramey were the two Minutemen who put the ball down for scores. 

Late in the game, Yale gathered some momentum while down 24-7 and worked to chip away at the UMass lead. 

“I thought the boys played really well for 60 minutes,” Ciccarelli said. “After that, about 20 minutes in, we let them back into the game, which we really shouldn’t have, but we got undisciplined, and it got sloppy. [UMass was] starting to make dumb mistakes getting those penalties, penalty after penalty after penalty, which [was] just giving Yale the opportunity to score.” 

The change in momentum began with a perfectly placed lofted kick into an open onsides Yale back, Chin Onwu. However, the ball deflected off his chest, allowing UMass to retain possession of the ball.  

Yale scored its second try of the game soon after, though a missed conversion meant that it would need to score at least two more tries in the dying minutes of the matchup. With a minute left in the game, a UMass penalty handed Yale a prime opportunity to drive the ball in for its third try of the day. The Minutemen ultimately held on for the closing seconds to secure the victory.  

The UMass backs were also crucial in the victory. Yale kicked the ball away consistently throughout the game, forcing the backs to receive the ball cleanly on many occasions. Fullback Kevin Daly was key for the Minutemen in both receiving kicks and breaking through the Yale front line. 

“I don’t think [Daly] dropped a single ball that went to him, it was massive.” Ciccarelli said. “That could have been really ugly if he was off his day or off his game.” 

Fly-half and captain John McGoey was perfect on his kicks, as he nailed all three of his conversions and added a goal from a penalty kick. The other captain, Aurthur Dehareng, truly led the team during the game. He was strong in the mucks and used his frame to push Bulldog defenders away. 

“He’s kind of a silent assassin,” Ciccarelli said. “He’s a quiet guy, but his work rate, his effort on the field, is unmatched and I think the guys follow that.” 

UMass will not play another game for three weeks because its next scheduled opponent, Colgate, forfeited the game. As a result, the Minutemen will carry a 4-0 record into their next game against Columbia. The clash is set to take place on Saturday, Oct. 19, at home in Amherst.