By Zach Waltz
Assistant Sports Editor
The men’s rugby team (1-0-1) will face the Syracuse Orange (1-1-1) tomorrow at home at 1 p.m. The Bonnies are gearing up to take on their interstate rival as a part of this weekend’s festivities.
Senior lock Tallon Moritz said the team looks forward to Family Weekend because players’ families are out to watch, which turns on the pressure and makes the team play better.
“It’s a big one because it’s Family Weekend and everyone’s family will be out,” Moritz said. “There’s a lot more pressure because all of your home fans are standing there cheering for you. That’s big playing at home, especially on Family Weekend.”
Head Coach Clarence Picard also said this weekend is a big game for many other reasons, not just for Family Weekend.
“We love playing on Family Weekend,” Picard said. “We get such good support from not only the parents, but also a lot of alumni that come back. It just turns into one of those really exciting atmospheres that Bonaventure sports can have, so it’s really one of our favorite weekends of the year. This weekend, we’re going to have a few recruits on campus, so that’s always an exciting thing. You always want to do well in those home matches.”
Picard added that playing at home is always an advantage for the Bonnies.
“We do feel like we have a really nice home field advantage,” Picard said. “We’re obviously in a remote area compared to a lot of the other teams in the state. So if a team is going to make that trip down here, we want to make sure we give them a taste of Bonaventure rugby.”
Moritz said the team has been preparing accordingly for the Orange by practicing more frequently than they would for a normal match.
“It’s a big match,” Moritz said. “We’re practicing more this week than we normally do. We’re stepping it up because we have three home matches in a row.”
Picard said the match is always a good one and even provides for some fun because of his personal connections to the Syracuse coaching staff.
“Syracuse has been a rival of ours over the last several years,” Picard said. “I’m friends with the coaching staff, so that makes it even more of a fun challenge for us. It’s just one of those games we have always circled and are excited about.”
The team won its last match against Binghamton (0-3). The final score was 66-12. Fifth-year senior flyhalf Kevin McCorry led the team with 21 points, while sophomore center Pat Hogan had 15 and sophomore wing Brendan Allman had 10. Junior wing John Sullivan, sophomore lock Phillip Jackling and fifth-year senior flanker Tim Hanna each added five points as well. McCorry led the team in conversions with eight, and Hogan led the team in tries with three.
