The eagerness was palpable before the match as Dartmouth and Brown stared each other down on Brophy with Brown looking to defend their title and Dartmouth looking to recapture a championship on home ground. The wind picked up mightily before the game, with gusts reaching almost 20 mph. Kicks wavered in the air, making it difficult to judge where the ball would come down. It was a physical game from the onset. Tackles could be heard from the top of the hill on Brophy. As the game progressed, possession traded back and forth, though Dartmouth progressively inched closer to the try zone. After what felt like forever, near the 5m line, Danny Locascio ’24 dished it out to Luke Wilson ‘25, who ran it in for the first try of the game. Matty ‘Ice’ Anticev drilled the conversion to put Dartmouth up 7-0. Early in the second half, Brown evened the score with a try of their own to make it 7-7 headed into the final minutes of the match.
Brown seemed to have momentum, and to make matters worse, the Big Green were hit with an unfortunate yellow card in the 10th minute. Dartmouth managed to survive the penalty unscathed, but Brown was still keeping up a fast pace. Moving into the 13th minute, Brown began to make a push. They drove the ball deep into Dartmouth’s own end. The Big Green gained possession at a critical moment. Amid loud cheers from the student section, Dartmouth knew they needed to make something happen fast. Deep in our own end, with things looking bleak for the Big Green, who could we rely on but our Captain, Jaime Chuidian ’23 to create some magic. Jaime caught the ball and danced around not one, not two, but three Brown defenders to break the line. The crowd erupted in cheers as Jaime dashed to midfield with a fourth Brown defender closely on his tail. As the defender made contact with Jaime, Jaime made an incredible offload to Luke Wilson on his left. Luke caught the ball in full stride and showed off his blazing speed as he raced to the try line. As Luke crossed into the try zone, the clock ticked to 14 minutes, and Luke stamped the ball down to seal Dartmouth’s fate as the 2023 Ivy 7s champions. Jaime followed through with the conversion to make the final score 14-7, Dartmouth.
Everyone in attendance was overcome with excitement as the trophy came home on Brophy. It felt like a storybook ending for the Big Green to reclaim the Ivy 7s title on home ground. What a way for the seniors end their last game on Brophy and cement their legacy in the DRFC.
Nothing would be complete without a special shoutout to Dartmouth Women’s Rugby, who finished the day on Brophy with an Ivy 7s championship of their own. With two Ivy 7s trophies, it was a day to rejoice for all of Dartmouth Rugby.