The Bonnies traveled to Fairfield, CT to take on #13 Iona Saturday, November 16th in the Liberty Rugby Conference Challenge. The match was deadlocked at 0-0 until Iona scored in the 25th minute, and scored again in the 30th. With five minutes left in the first half, Chaz Schwenk beat the Iona defense on a long break, scoring to put the Bonnies on the board. At halftime the Bonnies were down 10-5.

The Bonnies came out of halftime in force when, in the 50th minute, Wes Chiromo found the try zone, scored and converted. Five minutes later, Chiromo scored and converted once again, putting the Bonnies up 19-10. Shortly after, the Bonnies pushed a maul deep into Iona territory, Tyler Tomlinson carried it through the Iona defense and scored. Chiromo put the conversion through to extend the lead. At the 70 minute mark, Lorenzo Villani chased a Bonnies kick down, snatched the ball out of Iona's reach and scored. Chiromo tacked on two more points with another conversion, his fourth on the day. With ten minutes remaining, the Bonnies were up 33-10. In the final ten minutes, Iona scored twice but it was not enough to overcome the Bonnies' commanding offensive performance in the second half. Final score: St. Bonaventure Bonnies - 33, Iona Gaels - 22.

Captain Jack Wiles spoke about the team's approach to the match and how the team as a whole rose to the occasion: "We came into Iona knowing we would have to work for all 80 minutes in order to come out with a win. We came in with a great mindset and everybody stepped it up in the big game atmosphere. Before the game, Coach Tui only asked that we play better than our opposite number, and that's exactly what happened. Young guys really stepped it up, and veterans played with pure heart. It was great to finish the fall on a high note, and we are looking forward to a productive offseason to make big strides in the spring."

The Bonnies' win over Iona was a strong conclusion to the fall season, which presented the team with a new hill to climb every week. The Bonnies finished the fall 15s season ranked 19th in the nation, according to D1A Rugby rankings.

Related articles:

Week 11 Recap: D1Arugby.com

Liberty Conference Challenge Recap: GoffRugbyReport.com