Iona College Rugby Defeats UMass

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

 

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