It was Homecoming Weekend in Hanover, and Dartmouth took on Ivy League foes Brown in the last game of the regular season. In 2022, Brown defeated Dartmouth for the Ivy League trophy. With both teams earning victories against Harvard, the Ivy League XV’s title was on the line for this one. The rain showed out in full force on this late October afternoon, as spectators huddled under umbrellas protecting them from the downpour. Wet, slippery, muddy: all of the above were apt words to describe Brophy during the match.
Brown took the first crack at the try line in the match. Big Green did all they could to force Brown to go through phases of attack. Tackles were made well, but Brown still managed to push the ball over the try line. The Brown conversion made its way through the uprights giving them a 7-0 lead.
Just when it looked like Brown was pushing for another score, a swarm of Dartmouth defenders stripped the ball loose around the 22-meter line. Jack Swords ‘GR scooped up the loose ball and powered his way forward to gain meters, throwing several Brown defenders off of him as he went down. Dartmouth made an exit kick and soon regained possession on the other half of the pitch. A nifty poach by Luke Wilson ’25 set Dartmouth up in great field position. With lightning speed, Big Green swung the ball to their own sideline, past a shooting defender and into the hands of Abe Kamara ’25. Abe slid headfirst into the try zone to tie up the game at 7-7.
Brown would put up two more pairs of tries and conversions before halftime and convert a pen kick to make the score 24-7 Brown midway through the match.
By the start of the second 40 minutes, players from both teams were soaked head to toe with rainwater. Cleats and balls were sliding all over the pitch, and unfortunately, the second half didn’t go much better for the men in Green. While a penalty kick was converted early on, Dartmouth fell to Brown in the end with a final score of 38-10.
Alas, this is the last time Dartmouth will take the pitch in the fall. Though it wasn’t the result we were hoping for, it was a season with lots to remember. A huge congratulations is in order for the seniors playing their last XV’s game on Brophy, and they’ll have one more crack at an Ivy League Sevens title in the spring. The DRFC legacy lives on.