Dartmouth Gets Homecoming Win Over Harvard 62-0

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Heading in their final fall 15s game against Harvard Saturday, Dartmouth seemed primed to give a special performance in front of a raucous Homecoming crowd. By no means did they disappoint. Outperforming a determined Harvard defense right from the opening whistle, the Big Green dispatched the Crimson 62-0. The win capped off a third straight undefeated run through the conference for Dartmouth. The team has now won 12 of the last 15 Ivy Championships, including the last five in a row.

Finishes Ivy Rugby Season with a Perfect 7-0 Record

While they’ll still need to get through the Ivy Wildcard playoff in the spring to ensure a spot in the National Division I-AA Championships, the players were still appreciative of what they’ve accomplished. Such was especially the case among the seniors on the team, who are now one of only four classes to have won four Ivy titles during their time in Hanover. “It's a massive accomplishment for our seniors, and a huge testament to the work they've put in over the past four years. It has been a pleasure to be a part of the journey,” said Nate Brakeley. But he also took time to look forward what still lies ahead for the team, especially the Ivy 7s Tournament to be played in two weeks time. “Certainly we have a bit of a chip on our shoulder from last year's tournament, and I think we can use this momentum from the 15s season to really step up our 7s game.”

Dartmouth took the play to the Crimson right from the opening kick, keeping the ball in Harvard’s territory early on. While they couldn’t get the ball over the try line because of some stout Crimson defense, eventually they were able to get a penalty inside the 22. Wing Justin Ciambella ’13 calmly knocked home the kick for the 3-0 lead.

The Big Green wouldn’t have to settle for penalties for much longer, as wing Kevin Clark ’14 put in the first try to make the lead 10-0. Flyhalf and co-captain Bill Lehmann ’12 would be next to score, getting the senior class involved in the action to extend the advantage to 17-0. Two tries from fullback Madison Hughes ’15 and another from Clark closed out the first half, making the score 36-0 heading into the break.

In the 2nd half, Hughes would add another before a pair of seniors–center Clark Judge ’12 and No. 8 /Captain Paul Jarvis–put in tries of their own to punctuate their final games on Brophy Field. While the 55-0 lead that resulted from these scores was more than enough, Ciambella decided to add a little closing fireworks, racing the ball up the touch line before evading few defenders on the last play of the game to make the final score 62-0.

More Photos on Dartmouth's Facebook »

With the Fall 15s season in the background, the team will now transition into 7s mode in preparation for the Ivy League Rugby 7s Championships. The one-day tournament will be held at the Irish Cultural Center in Canton, MA on Saturday, Nov. 5th.

Scoring

  • Support Dartmouth Men's Rugby this Homecoming weekend in the final game of the Fall season! At 10:00 am on... http://t.co/EdYQlaaI
  • Dartmouth vs. Harvard to kick off on beautiful Brophy field in 10 minutes!
  • Dartmouth penalty scored by Justin Ciambella. Dartmouth 3 - 0 Harvard.
  • Dartmouth try scored by Kevin Clark '14. Ciambella conversion good! Dartmouth 10 - 0 Harvard
  • Dartmouth try scored by senior co-captain Bill Lehmann! Ciambella conversion good! Dartmouth 17 - 0 Harvard
  • Dartmouth try scored by Madison Hughes '15. Ciambella conversion good. Dartmouth 24 - 0 Harvard
  • Dartmouth try scored by Madison Hughes '15. Ciambella conversion missed. Dartmouth 29 - 0 Harvard
  • Dartmouth try scored by Kevin Clark assisted well by Dylan Jones. Ciambella conversion good. Dartmouth 36 - 0 Harvard at the half.
  • Dartmouth try scored by Madison Hughes '15. Ciambella conversion missed. Dartmouth 41 - 0 Harvard
  • Dartmouth try scored by senior Clark Judge off an interception. Ciambella conversion good. Dartmouth 48 - 0 Harvard
  • Dartmouth try by senior captain Paul Jarvis takes Dartmouth to 55-0 lead after conversion by Justin Ciambella
  • Incredible try by Justin Ciambella for Dartmouth, evading three harvard defenders by himself on his way into the try zone.
  • Scannell conversion good to take us to a Dartmouth 62 Harvard 0 final score.

Contact: Jeff Hopkins
Phone: (908) 403-3120
E-Mail: jeffrey [dot] a [dot] hopkinsatdartmouth [dot] edu