Men’s rugby displays strong start to their fall season at LeMoyne
Last Sunday, the Geneseo Men’s Rugby team traveled to LeMoyne College in Syracuse for their first league match of the season. The Warthogs are back in the regular 15s season as members of the Lake Effect Rugby Conference, putting them up against Buffalo State, Ithaca College, University of Rochester, Niagara University, and the newest edition to the conference, LeMoyne College.
Last season, the Warthogs had an absolutely incredible performance—they went undefeated in conference play against Buffalo State, Ithaca, University of Rochester, Niagara, Fredonia, and Canisius. The team even made it to the regional championship tournament in Boston, Massachusetts, where they went down fighting against Holy Cross and Hofstra, earning fourth place in the Northeast Region. Unfortunately, these losses cost them their spot in the 15s national championship tournament in Houston, Texas.
This season, the Hogs look to defend their conference championship title and continue this culture of success by making it to this year’s national championship tournament in Houston in December, and so far, they’re off to a great start.
The Hogs played an A-side and a B-side scrimmage against RIT for their home opener the weekend prior and had a very good showing. RIT is currently a Division II team, but they are in the process of moving upwards into Division I. The Hogs won with a great score of 24-5, with four tries and two conversions made. The B-side put up a very good fight but unfortunately fell to RIT with a score of 0-12.
The home opener against RIT proved to provide valuable experience for the team; at LeMoyne, The Warthogs started the game off strong, with junior Connor Coleman scoring a try within the first two minutes of play. After that, tries were scored by seniors Cam Freedman and Dante Coccia, along with two kicks for points by junior Justin Jahrsdoerfer, for a score of 23-7 at the end of the first half.
In the second half, Jahrsdoerfer scored a try and a kick for points, junior Connor Geraghty scored his first career try in 15s, and Freedman scored another two tries, securing a hat trick and earning the Hogs a triumphant victory with a final score of 50-21.
After the A-side game, the B-side played a friendly 10s game against the Le Moyne B-side. Both of these teams consisted of newer and more inexperienced players, making it a great learning experience for all. The B-side Hogs performed exceptionally well, redeeming themselves after their loss to RIT’s B-side. Rookies Hunter Phillips and Colin Raymond each scored tries, and rookie Ivan West scored two. The team finished the game with a winning score of 22-8.
Next weekend, the Hogs take on Buffalo State at home on Letchworth Field, kicking off at 10 a.m. Buffalo State finished second in the conference last season and are eager for revenge. The Warthogs have been working their hardest to make sure that they don’t get it, and to advance their record to 2-0 for the season.