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Brown Men's Rugby Triumph in Liberty Conference Showdown
In a stellar showcase of tactical prowess and athletic skill, the Brown Men's Rugby team decisively claimed a 64-5 victory over the Iona University Gaels on September 20, 2025. Played on Mazzella Field, on the campus of Iona University, a few miles northeast of New York City in New Rochelle, and with the benefit of the sunny and warm conditions of the last weekend of summer, this marked the third week of the Liberty Conference Division 1 regular season.
The first half set the tone, with Brown leaping out to an impressive 31-0 lead by halftime. Marco Lapierre opened the scoring with an impressive aerial catch of a cross-field kick from flyhalf Ben Shirley, while Matthew Schwab and Garett Mann each added 2 tries in the first. Tito Edjua slotted 3 of Brown's first 5 conversion attempts, then got the first try of the second half himself, leading the way for the Bears to outpace their first half performance, scoring 33 in the second half. Theo Romero and Malcolm Grant each scored second-half tries, Lapierre would return for his second of the match, and Schwab split defenders and took a carry from about 25 meters out to secure a hat trick.
The team's overall performance was augmented by the forward pack's commanding presence in scrums, securing all their own put-ins and earning 7 scrum penalties that sapped the Gaels' morale.
Reflecting on the match, co-captain Kaspar Pitblado expressed a deep connection with the support from past team members, noting the 'alumni energy' felt from the sidelines,
"Seriously felt the alumni energy and love from the sideline."
This win places Brown at a promising 3-0 record in Division 1 of the Liberty Conference, setting a strong precedent for the remainder of the season.
Looking ahead, Brown Men's Rugby is set to face Harvard University on September 27, 2025, at their home ground, Marvel Field in Providence, Rhode Island. Harvard brings an 0-2 record on the season, on an aggregated 70-point deficit against previous opponents, Dartmouth and Fordham.
MATCH ROSTER
1 Henrique Gabriel
2 Garett Mann, replaced at 48:00
3 Asa Rosenmeier, replaced at 67:00
4 Rowe Stodolnic
5 Tony Zhao, replaced at 56:00
6 Bertie Deen
7 Kaspar Pitblado
8 Matt Schwab
9 Charm Tuala
10 Ben Shirley, replaced at 60:00
11 Finley Brown, replaced at 63:00
12 Tito Edjua
13 Theo Romero
14 Marco Lapierre
15 Inigo Langford, replaced at 63:00
16 Erik Estienne, in at hooker at 48:00
17 Ben Le Roux, in at tight head at 67:00
18 Cameron Kean, in at blindside flanker at 65:00
19 St John Smith, in at blindside flanker at 56:00
20 Fred Hughes, in at flyhalf at 60:00
21 Tripp King, in at wing at 63:00
22 Malcolm Grant, in at fullback at 63:00
SCORING SUMMARY
FIRST HALF
11:00 Brown Try, Marco Lapierre, Tito Edjua Conversion, Brown 7 - 0 Iona
20:00 Brown Try, Matt Schwab, Tito Edjua Conversion, Brown 14 - 0 Iona
26:00 Brown Try, Garett Mann, Tito Edjua Conversion, Brown 21 - 0 Iona
32:00 Brown Try, Garett Mann, Brown 26 - 0 Iona
37:00 Brown Try, Matt Schwab, Brown 31 - 0 Iona
HALF TIME Brown 31 - 0 Iona
48:00 Brown Try, Tito Edua, Brown 36 - 0 Iona
52:00 Brown Try, Marco Lapierre, Tito Edjua Conversion, Brown 43 - 0 Iona
56:00 Brown Try, Theo Romero, Tito Edjua Conversion, Brown 50 - 0 Iona
71:00 Iona Try, Brown 50 - 7 Iona
75:00 Brown Try, Matt Schwab, Tito Edjua Conversion, Brown 57 - 7 Iona
79:00 Brown Try, Malcolm Grant, Tito Edjua Conversion, Brown 64 - 5 Iona
FINAL SCORE Brown 64 - 5 Iona
