Match Report at American International College

Friday 10/31/2025
Fairfield 27 – AIC 33

With the way our schedule was set up, our season was always going to come down to the
last game...and against AIC. Our boys were eager to avenge last year's loss at the death in
the rain to start the year. The stage was set for an epic contest on Halloween as the both of
us were vying for 3rd place in the conference and for a possible at-large playoff bid. While
the result was disappointing, the match itself was absolutely epic!
The Stags came out of the gates hot; they were fired up, locked in, and ready to hit! Still, AIC
has a lot of fire power, and they showed it by scoring first. In response, Henry Novicki '26
slotted a penalty goal from over 30 meters to bring the score to 5-3 in favor of AIC. AIC
would go on to score 2 converted tries to lead 19-3. The Stags' would not back down as
Archer Fenton '29 landed the Stags' counter punch just before the halftime horn.
Conversion no good, AIC led 19-8 at the break. The mood in the huddle was
hyped...everyone knew we were in this game and we could win it!
In the second half, the forward asserted their dominance in the set pieces with tries off
mauls and winning scrum penalties, drawing Yellow Cards on AIC. John Bennett '27
scored the first try of the second half, and then Tommy Morales '27 scored the next.
Novicki converted Morales' try, and now the Stags were in business! Michael Fitzgerald
'26 scored a third try off a maul, and Novicki converted it. The Stags now led 27-19 with just
over 15 minutes left. Unfortunately, AIC showed its firepower once again, and scored 2
converted tries very quickly to retake the lead 33-27.
The Stags had their chances as they continued to dominate the set piece, win penalties,
and gain territory. In the end it just didn't go our way. The final at 33-27 in favor of AIC
determined a 4th place finish in the conference which has 7 of its teams ranked in the top
20: Brown, Dartmouth, AIC, Fairfield, Siena, and Syracuse.
This marks the third straight year the Stags finish 5-3. We graduate a group of seniors who
were the last remaining members of our 15s playoff squad. On behalf of all the players and
coaches, thank you to the Class of 2026 for your efforts in 15s!

Top Point Scorers for A-side, Fall 2025:
Henry Novicki '26 58 points
Thomas Morales '27 35 points
Luke Boals '29 20 points

B-side Match Report at Harvard University

Fairfield B 26 – AIC B 46

It was very difficult for these boys to ramp up after watching their brothers lose a
heartbreaker, and when you're pretty much facing A-side players, the recipe doesn't bode
well for success. Be that as it may, Ian Thomson '27 continued his success off the kicking
tee with 3 conversions. We saw tries from Luke Coetzee '27, Aidan Boutin '29, Ryan Pena
'29, and Brendan Coutts '27.
Our B-side finished the Fall 15s season with a 6-2 record. Top Point Scorers for B-side, Fall
2025:
Ian Thomson '27 63 points
Cian O'Callaghan '28 52 points
Carter Delleo '27 40 points
On behalf of the coaching staff, we thank you for your support! We especially wish to
recognize the following volunteers:
The Horkan Family P'28 as the leaders of the Parents'Club, and all the families who
supported these efforts!
The Grimes Family P'29 for their efforts with merchandise and fundraising.
The Ryan Family P'28 for their efforts with photography.
Finally, a special thank you to Bruce McLane P'27 for his work as a consultant.
To our D1 coaches: Myles McQuone, Steve Cappello, and Erwan Nicolas – thank you for
preparing our boys to compete at the highest level.
To our D3 coaches: Ben Brzoski, Greg Collins, and Declan Kelly – thank you for your efforts
so we may offer rugby to as many players as possible!
Go Stags! See you in the spring!