Saturday, November 2nd, the Bonnies traveled to Fredericksburg, Virginia to take on the University of Mary Washington. The match opened up with a competitive back-and-forth possession battle. Play stayed close to the midfield mark for most of the first ten minutes. UMW scored twice, converting neither to make the score 10-0 around the 20 minute mark. The Bonnies scored off of a maul pushed into the try zone and Josh Smith made the conversion to cut UMW's lead to three. The Bonnies were awarded a penalty in front of the posts and Josh Smith sent it through to tie the match at 10. With the first half of play closing, Ultan Horrigan rounded the outside of the defense and dove into the try zone to give the Bonnies a 15-0 lead at the half.
UMW scored after halftime to tie the match at 15. The Bonnies found momentum when Chris Starkweather stole a UMW lineout in Bonnies territory, took it halfway to the try zone and offloaded it to North Westall who finished it off. Josh Smith converted it from the touchline for an additional two points and the Bonnies found themselves in the lead 22-15. The Bonnies received the kickoff and Tyler Tomlinson took the long way around UMW's defense to end up in the try zone, Josh Smith converted once again and the Bonnies increased their lead to 29-15. With less than ten minutes remaining, UMW scored but missed the conversion. With about five minutes remaining, UMW blocked a Bonnies kick into the try zone and scored. Adding a succesful conversion, UMW made it too close for comfort at 29-27. The Match ended on a UMW knock-on in Bonnies territory with the Bonnies on top.
Final Score: St. Bonaventure 29, University of Mary Washington 27.
The JV match followed immediately after the Varsity match. The St. Bonaventure Bonnies' JV side opened strong and continued strong throughout the match. The Bonnies put phase after phase together, breaking the defensive line time and time again. They put up a halftime score of 22-0, and continued their dominance into the second half. Through the second half, the Bonnies doubled down on their momentum, with tries from Carlos Dominguez, Damarion Walker, Sam Bennetta, Rocco Arnold and Evan Burton, among others. Chris Ayer tacked up points for conversions on the day. The Bonnies took their dominance to a 59-0 victory, which concluded their season.
JV team captain Garrett Coolidge felt the win represented something larger: "The UMW game was a great example of the individual and group progression for the JV team this year. A lot of our freshmen, especially Evan Burton and Matt Wing, really displayed how much they've developed and matured as players over this season. Overall, our unselfish play, support lines, and defense were the keys to our large margin of victory. It was a great way to finish our JV season, and it's given the team some great momentum and confidence to carry into this upcoming 7's season!"
Saturday, November 16th, the Bonnies travel to Fairfield, CT to take on Iona in their last match of the season. Captain Jack Wiles spoke about the matchup ahead: "Getting the W down at UMW was huge for us after a tough couple of weeks on the road. It set the tone for this weekend against Iona. Going into Iona we know that we have to work hard on and off the ball, and play smart against them. Its our last game of the season and we're ready to leave it all on the field."
