Men's A-side vs. Syracuse University
Fairfield 35 – Syracuse 31
With the sun rising over Grauert Field on Saturday morning, Men's Rugby arrived to play
Syracuse for 7th place in the Liberty Rugby Conference. As the hosts for the conference's
challenge and championship matches, campus was booming with men's rugby teams and
spectators. We got off to a very rough start as Syracuse scored first, essentially waking us up.
This game was a massive opportunity to roster players who've worked hard all season and
seniors who've worked hard their whole careers at Fairfield; specifically, Ryan Hoffman '24,
Ryan Mayerhofer '26, Jack Carbone '25, Vincent Sweeney '24, Ian Thomson '27, Connor
Cronin '25, and Quinn Evans '26. Hoffman turned in his usual gritty, gutsy performance with
hard tackles and relentless ball support. Mayerhofer, who is consistently referred to as "shifty"
by his teammates, logged a try that saw him have a lot of work to do – making at least 3
defenders miss before crossing the line. He gave his all on kick coverage and counter-attacking,
and attacked space when he had the ball. Carbone makes his case to be a top-side player every
time he steps on the field; he administers the pain on defense, he supports the ball carrier on
attack, and most importantly he seeks no glory other than through the team's success. While
Sweeney didn't see the field, it's important to note that this young man logged one of the
highest completion percentages this summer through the team's strength & conditioning
program. Since he joined as a sophomore, he has worked tirelessly to learn rugby, get better,
and support his teammates. Thomson shined on the day! Intercepting a pass for a try, slotting a
45-meter goal kick, and igniting our attack with creativity and pace, he made his case very
strong as next fall's starting fly-half. While he has room to grow, he has been consistent with his
foot and his leadership all season! Cronin is about as steady-Eddy as they come; he doesn't
make mistakes, or at least big ones, and he's always where he needs to be. He had great carries
and rotated well on defense in the back three.
While the kickoff time and the large layover from our game against Dartmouth showed our
rust, the ability for this group to grind out this win is very, very encouraging. It's the type of
competitive, punch/counter-punch game the fans like to see. It is also a reminder for us to
always respect every opponent we face. We showed this respect by taking points when they
were available, and for playing the full 80 minutes.

Credit to Mike Fitzgerald '26, who was named Man of the Match. Fitz has been a silent assassin
all year for this squad; he's learning to command the lineout, he's using his big frame to dictate
contact, and he continues to smash opposing players all over the field.
Men's Rugby finishes Fall 2023 with a 5-3 overall record, and will remain in the Top 20 in
National Collegiate Rugby's and Goff Rugby Report's rankings. While our season is over earlier
than we had hoped, this year's results taught us a lot of valuable lessons: respect every
opponent, leadership is not a privilege but a responsibility, and there's better balance that must
be struck in order to remain sharp while remembering this is a game that is meant to enhance
the players' experiences in college. Here's to a productive and passionate offseason in Walsh
Athletic Center, in preparation for a national 7s circuit and a competitive, developmental 15s
side in the spring!

Match Report submitted by Austin Ryan