Following three weeks of rest for the Big Green’s starting XV due to a forfeit from Yale, the men took off Friday to face UPenn for their Ivy League season opener. After a long journey and a good night of rest, the men were energized by a fantastic showing from parents, alumni, and friends for their first away game.
It didn’t take long for the men to translate this energy into points as skipper Mike Weir pinned UPenn inside their own-22 with a deep right corner kickoff, Matias Calvo gained possession with his poaching skills, and Co-captain Jasper Green sealed the try with a gashing line straight through UPenn’s defense (all within 2 minutes of kickoff). UPenn responded with grit, proving strong through contact. Injuries for the DRFC ( Jack Wagner, shoulder; Will Frohlich, head) saw the green respond with subs stepping up and performing well. Heads up rugby resulted in a hat trick for the skipper in the first half as he scored from not one but two quick taps and a pick and go from the base of the ruck. The men managed to score twice from line-outs, once from a beautifully executed pushover maul touched down by AJ Meyer, and once from a bobble line-out that landed in the hands of Malcom Robinson who crashed through 3 men and ran 20 meters to find himself in the try zone. Before they knew it the men in green were up 45-0 at the half and had sealed the game for Dartmouth.
At the half, a number of younger reserves had the chance to make an impact and gain some valuable match experience. Following a matchup two weeks ago against Norwich which left much to be desired from the second XV, the men took the field with the intention to prove themselves and their right to wear the white and green. The squad mostly made up of underclassmen carried on the starting XV’s performance with class. Notable performances from Jameson Liljedahl ‘24, Youngjoo Lee ‘25, and Danny Loscascio ‘24 carried the men to a final score of 69-0.
As any rugby match, there were some bloopers for the men to laugh at on their way home. From this game two stand out: Co-captain Jasper Green kicks the ball out of his own hand as he is about to place it down inside the Upenn try zone, and breakout sophomore Jameson Liljedahl loses out on a 70-meter run after running out the back of the try zone. Always lessons to learn in any match.
This strong win over Ivy League rivals gives the squad momentum heading into Dartmouth biggest test yet since their Ivy League final in 2019 as they prepare to face Army. A week of improvements and lineup shifts following injuries awaits the men in green as they prepare to shock college rugby in their match up against a highly ranked and formidable Army squad; a match set to be played at Brophy for homecoming weekend.