Dec 07, 2024
They say turnabout is fair play. It can also be heartbreaking.
A year ago, St. Bonaventure defeated Brown, 15-13, on Noah Edwards’ penalty kick on the final play of the match to clinch a berth for the Bonnies in the National Collegiate Rugby Championship title game.
This afternoon, Brown (11-0), ranked No. 2 in the NCR D-I poll, converted a short penalty kick on the final play of the match to edge the No. 3 Bonnies, 11-10, and advance to next Saturday’s title game in Houston.
The gut-wrenching loss prevented SBU (7-4) from reaching the national title game for the third time in four years.
In a bruising, physical match dominated by defense, Brown jumped to a 3-0 lead on a penalty kick just 5 minutes into the game. But the Bonnies took a 7-3 lead 10 minutes later on a punishing, tackle-breaking run from Lukas Otineru and conversion by Matheo Lorenzato.
Brown took an 8-7 lead midway through the half, bypassing a makeable penalty kick for a lineout that led to an impressive 30-yard maul to the try zone.
St. Bonaventure nearly took the lead with about 20 minutes left but turned the ball over less than 5 yards from the try zone.
But Edwards, the Bonnies kicking specialist who had been injured for weeks and was inserted into the lineup midway through the second half, made a penalty kick from a tough angle at the 66-minute mark to give SBU a 10-8 lead.
It was the third year in a row St. Bonaventure played Brown in the final four of the NCR Division I Championship. In 2022, Brown edged SBU, 14-9, in the national semifinals.
Brown will play the winner of this evening’s second semifinal between top-ranked Queens and No. 4 Wheeling.
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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #6 for value and #14 for innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).