Boston College, UMass to Liberty DIAA Final

11.03.2024

This is BC vs Yale from 2024, but since both teams moved up and it's a good @CoolRugbyPhotos shot, we're using it.

UMass and Boston College will meet up in the final of the Liberty Conference DIAA division after UMass won big and BC won small Saturday.

The UMass Minutemen, as we've been discussing all season, have an excellent defense and they unleashed it this weekend over #4 seed UConn, holding the Huskies to just 10 points. Meanwhile, Massachusetts ran in 10 tries and one conversion to win it 52-10.

Oisin Allen led UMass with two tries while Liam Concannon, Kadin Phimister, Kevin Daly, Cole Kennedy, Trainor Sherck, and David Manoukian all touched down once.

Over the seven conference games (including this semifinal), Massachusetts has allowed 51 points.

Manoukian and Daly have been key for UMass in the centers, not just scoring tries but leading the defensive effort. Christian Manjikian, Phimister, and Vik Insanic have been very tough in the pack all season long.

"We had a strong scrum early on in the season but the lineout struggled," said Head Coach Phil Ciccarelli. "We took some time over the bye week and fixed a few things and it has improved significantly over the last few weeks, which has allowed us to launch a solid attack. Defense has been our identity the last three years, and now the offense has really stepped up which has been great to see."

Meanwhile, Boston College held off Yale 28-25 to end a really strong season for Yale. This was a big revenge game for the Eagles as they lost their conference opener to the Bulldogs 30-7. The three-point victory was situation normal for BC as they have had several tight games this fall.

Prop Ryan Lawler was named player of the game for BC, but this was a team victory.

"A massive effort after losing the first game of the season vs Yale 30-7," said BC Head Coach Rob Conway. "Our bus broke down on the side of the highway on our way to the semis vs Yale which shortened our warmups. We went down 20-0 but with five minutes to go before halftime we scored through the forwards under the posts to go 20-7 into the half with momentum."

That try was pivotal as the BC players took a shot of confidence and worked their way into the lead from there. They took the lead 21-20 only for Yale to score their lone try of the second half to take a 25-21 lead. But BC came back once again to win it.

"We rallied hard in the second half," said Conway.

Along with Lawler, lock Anton Schmitt was a force in the forwards, Matt Brown was a powerful presence at outside center, while captain and flyhalf Bobby Voth led the comeback well and provided clutch kicks from the tee.

Next up, then, is the Liberty DIAA final between Boston College and University of Massachusetts next week. These two teams have not faced each other this season.

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