MATCH REPORT vs. Harvard University
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Final Score Fairfield 37 – Harvard 0
It was extremely disappointing for Harvard to contact us late in the week informing us they didn't have the numbers for a B-side match. We take pride in developing all our players to the best of their abilities, and a lot of the young men in this group were cheated out of an opportunity to strut their stuff. Still, these young men showed their support for their mates and for the club, and we are extremely proud of them for that!
For the game, a slow start plague Fairfield again. Jack Garrity '26, fresh off his impactful performance against Iona, which earned him the start, scored off an 8-man pick 5 meters out from the goal line. Chris Giunta '25 added a penalty goal about 5 minutes later from about 40 meters out. And, that was all the scoring that took place in the first half. A lot of forced offloads, unsupported breaks, and frantic kicks stunted the Stags from mounting pressure and putting Harvard to the sword.
This was truly a tale of two halves, as the Stags refocused at the break and showed glimpses of their attacking potential. Luke Rinklin '28 once again found the try zone after having to do a lot of work to cross it, stepping opponents left and right. Patrick McHale '27, returning from injury and starting on the wing, scored 2 tries. The exclamation point was Finn McMahon '27 scoring in the corner at the death to cement the victory.
Giunta found his kicking foot again with a couple long penalty goals and 3 from 5 on conversions. Men of the Match were Gavin O'Hara '25 for his strong carries and relentless launches on defense, and Pat Burke '25 for his draw-and-pass in the midfield and support play on attack, which lead to some of the most brilliant backline attack sequences of the season!
A fun note was Owen Lewis '25 came in to finish the game, and tried to finish off his brother who plays for Harvard as well! Credit to Lewis for his hard work to return to the field after shoulder surgery, and for buying into the culture we're working hard to build that focuses on being great at things that require no talent…a.k.a., giving maximum effort and working really freakin' hard! The Stags go on the road to Dartmouth next weekend, and look to continue to build on their momentum and come home with a massive win!