Coming off a decisive victory against Le Moyne College last weekend, the Hamilton Men’s Rugby Exiles are looking to clinch the division championship in a rematch against Le Moyne this Saturday at 2:00 PM on Minor Field.
Currently ranked 16th in the nation, the Exiles have racked up an impressive 5–0–1 record this season, making them the only current undefeated team on campus. The team finished the season with a point differential of +119, nearly twice that of the next closest team, cementing them firmly at the top of their division and making their prospects for the postseason promising to say the least.
However, the push to the playoffs has not been a walk in the park for the Exiles, who grinded to a close 42–34 victory over historic rivals SUNY Plattsburgh three weekends ago. In a nail-biting, grueling match, Hamilton was able to clinch the win despite a strong Plattsburgh offense. The team’s Facebook page on Oct. 8 had this to say about the win:
“After driving downfield for an early first-half try by backs captain and fly-half Henry “Chips” Golden, the Exiles let in a quick Plattsburgh try off of a poached pass. Our pre-game overconfidence soon faded and the Exiles’ forwards dug in for a long match of attrition warfare as Plattsburgh battled back with a series of grueling pick-and-go tries. Come the second half, however, our mighty props dug in their heels and stopped any progression off of the rucks. With our defense secure, our crack squad of backs was again free to do their thang as they channeled their undirtied boots and unbloodied faces straight through the now-gaping holes in Plattsburgh’s defense.”
In what many expected to be their toughest match of the season against the second-best team in the division, Hamilton authoritatively trounced the Le Moyne Koonducks last weekend by a score of 46–29. Coming off of a 41–0 mercy rule victory against SUNY Potsdam, the team’s confidence was high and the group focused their sights on completing their undefeated regular season. Against Le Moyne, the Exiles scored eight tries, with “Man of the Match” Will Richardson ’21 scoring four tries alone. Christopher Albino ’20 weighed in with two tries of his own, and seniors Nick Pace ’19 and Max Kohn ’19 added a try each to fully cement Hamilton’s victory.
The division championship, which will be held on Minor Field this Saturday, Oct. 27, will be a rematch of last weekend’s match against Le Moyne. The winner will progress to the league championship the following weekend. While the Exiles neatly disposed of the Koonducks the last time they met, Le Moyne will surely be hungrier than ever to beat Hamilton given the stakes of their Saturday match.
But that doesn’t seem to bother forward captain Harry Dubke ’19, who said, “Le Moyne is a tough and gritty team, there’s no doubt about that. They spent all of last game pounding the ball back into our defensive line and will be coming out with a fire in their bellies this week, but we are prepared. We’ve played them once. We’ve beat them once. And when it comes down to it, the Exiles’ discipline, drive, and determination to win are unmatched.
They may come out swinging after last week’s defeat, but we are going to come out playing this game just as any other: fast as lightning with an absolutely unrelenting drive towards victory.”
Geoffrey Schweller ’19 also weighed in on the Exile’s season, stating excitedly that “the team is really good this year.” Before the match on Saturday, the Hamilton College Grilling Club will provide food and a tailgate, so come early for some barbecue and get excited for one of the most intense playoff games of the season. The game will begin on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 2 PM on Minor Field.
