Iona College Rugby vs. UMass
Iona College Men’s Rugby hosted UMass in the opening match of the D1A Rugby 2018-2019 season in New Rochelle, NY last night winning 59-15. The match was broadcast on ESPN+.
Iona College starters include 5 freshmen, 1 transfer and 1 player at a new position. Two additional freshmen were replacements. The team lost two key players from injury in Collegiate All-American Mike Scarcella and Mike Marro.
Last year, the Gaels breezed through the Liberty D1A Rugby Conference, I-95 Division while going 11-2 overall. UMass is also a very good team, who lost last year to the Gaels 32-17.
Iona vs. UMass Match Recap
Iona College struck first in the 2nd minute as flyhalf John Powers scored a quick try. Santi Mascolo, a Collegiate All-American and team vice-captain at No. 8, added the first of his many points in the match slotting the conversion for a 7-0 lead.
Powers added a second try in the 16th minute with Mascolo converting. A Third try was scored by vice-captain scrumhalf and Collegiate All-American Connor Buckley, again converted by Mascola for a 21-0 lead midway in the first half.
The Minutemen answered back in the 32nd and 33rd minute with two tries, the first by Abdul Muqueet a lock, followed by another by Robert Yvon a flanker. This cut the lead to 21-10.
In the final minute, the Gaels powerful outside center Watson Filikitonga, who transferred from the College of San Mateo, added a fourth try, increasing the lead to 28-10 after Mascolo’s conversion.
Second Half
Luc Mitchell, a wing who played at Xavier High School, opened the second half scoring in the 44th minute for UMass. This cut the lead to 28-15 but would be the least Minutemen score of the match.
Iona struck back with a try by inside center Cullen Buckley in the 52nd minute with Mascola converting for a 35-15 lead. Two minutes later, wing Dilsher Main scored a try and after Mascolo kicking continued to be perfect, the lead was 42-15.
The Gaels would add three more tries with reserve prop Omar Mfarti, powering his way in for a try and Mascola for another, both unconverted. Team captain Nandipha Dube, the Senior tighthead prop added the final try, the team’s 9th, giving Iona a 59-15 win over UMass.
Next week on September 8, UMass will host New England College, while Iona College will have a bye week before hosting Navy on September 15 at 3 pm at Mazzella Field.
Squads
| IONA GAELS | UMASS MINUTEMEN | |
| DOUG PRICE5’11 215 FR Miami | 1 | MATTHEW MCCARTHY
Milton HS -Boston Rugby Club- Pol Sci |
| TYLER RINGWOOD5’10 200 JR OLYMPUS UTAH | 2 | JACOB PARLABrookline HS – Boston RFC – English |
| NANDIPHA DUBE © 5’11 225 SR CHRISTIAN BROTHERS NJ ZIMBABWE | 3 | CHRIS TROIANOBC High – Engineering |
| JACK BRANDES 6’3 210 FR BROOKLYN PRUSA JAMES MADISON HS | 4 | ABDUL MUQEETThe Beacon School – Engineering |
| COREY GARDNER 6’1 200 JR BISHOPHENDRICKEN – RHODE ISLAND | 5 | DENIS MCAULIFFEMilton HS – Boston RFC – Econ |
| LIAM ANDERSON 6’2 210 FR MORRIS RUGBY | 6 | ROBERT YVONMonument Mount HS – Chem Eng Grad Student |
| CAM DIGIORGIO 6’2 210 CHRISTIAN BROTHERS ACADEMY | 7 | SEAN DAVENPORT Oliver Ames HS – Environmental Sci |
| SANTI MASCOLO (VC) 6’3 210 JR RYE HS | 8 | TIMMY O’CONNORMilton HS – Education Grad Student |
| CONNOR BUCKLEY (VC) 5’8 175 SO XAVIER | 9 | KARL PREZANorth Quincy HS – Kinesiology |
| JOHN POWERS 6’ 180 SR FLORIDA JUICE | 10 | TERRENCE CULLEN BC High – Finance |
| DILSHER MAINI 5’10 180 FR MORRIS RUGBY | 11 | LUC MITCHELL Xavier HS – Marine Biology |
| CULLEN BUCKLEY 5’11 210 JR CENTRAL CATHOLIC (P’BURGH) | 12 | BARRETT LYONS Belmont HS – Communications |
| WATSON FILIKITONGA 6’5 230 SO SAN JOSE CA | 13 | ANDREW FRENCH Portsmouth HS – Mechanical Eng |
| EMMET ESPOSITO 5’10 165 FR XAVIER | 14 | JACK SHARERNewtown North HS – Electrical Eng |
| BRYCE STANBACK 5’10 175 JR GREENWICH | 15 | EVAN BURKEPentucket HS – Chemical Eng |
| IONA Reserves | UMASS Reserves | |
| OMAR MFARTI 5’10 300 FR Xavier | 16 | BENJAMIN CAPRA Barnstable HS Construction Management |
| PHILIP RAVIELE | 17 | WILL MOROG King Phillip HS – Construction Management |
| PATRICK MORRISSEY | 18 | VAN MCCOOLE St Johns Prep |
| MICHAEL COLLUM | 19 | THOMAS CONNOLLYChelmsford HS |
| ANDREW AGLIONE | 20 | TIMOTHY CLOCKERDanvers HS |
| ANDREW DONOHUE | 21 | JOE ROCKWELLAndover HS |
| SHANE HOLMES |
22 | CARL GILLIES Reading HS |
| JAMES LAVAR | 23 | PATRICK O’SULLIVANHaverhill HS |
